WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.759
Day 338 or December the 4th. Almost too good

00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:10.179
to be true. Our thoughts today are from Colossians

00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:14.500
chapter 3 verse 13. Bear with each other and

00:00:14.500 --> 00:00:17.800
forgive one another if any of you has a grievance

00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:21.940
against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave

00:00:21.940 --> 00:00:26.260
you. And now the big picture surrounding this

00:00:26.260 --> 00:00:31.469
verse. Having declared who Jesus is, Paul then

00:00:31.469 --> 00:00:35.049
goes on to tell all believers that we must put

00:00:35.049 --> 00:00:38.530
off the old man and put on the new he tells the

00:00:38.530 --> 00:00:41.710
Colossians that they have to instigate this themselves

00:00:41.710 --> 00:00:45.090
as part of growing up in Christ he goes on to

00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:48.109
say we must lead holy lives within our family

00:00:48.109 --> 00:00:52.679
in our workplace and in society in general He

00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:55.759
has lots of comments about otherwise unknown

00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:01.159
Christians such as Tychicus, Aristarchus, Epaphras

00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:04.379
and many more. Without their brief mention in

00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:07.420
the Bible these ordinary people like you and

00:01:07.420 --> 00:01:11.560
me would slip into history unknown to us but

00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:16.760
known personally to Jesus. And now today's action

00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:21.590
step. When you read today's verse Try reading

00:01:21.590 --> 00:01:25.530
it in reverse order. Then we read that God forgave

00:01:25.530 --> 00:01:29.890
us, you and me, a more undeserving case I cannot

00:01:29.890 --> 00:01:33.049
imagine than the grey -haired man who greets

00:01:33.049 --> 00:01:35.890
me daily as I look in the mirror to have a shave

00:01:35.890 --> 00:01:39.450
every morning. I have to say that I wouldn't

00:01:39.450 --> 00:01:42.909
forgive me because I know me. Most of us would

00:01:42.909 --> 00:01:46.390
say that too if we are totally honest. In fact,

00:01:46.450 --> 00:01:49.159
I think all of us would. In spite of letting

00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:51.500
Him down and breaking our word over and over

00:01:51.500 --> 00:01:56.780
again, 1 John 1 verse 9 reminds us that if we

00:01:56.780 --> 00:02:00.400
confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just

00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:03.540
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from

00:02:03.540 --> 00:02:07.120
all wickedness. Notice what it says, not just

00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:11.259
forgiveness, but cleansing. What a Saviour! Now

00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:14.080
carry on reading in reverse order. We are to

00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:18.530
forgive like this. Only God can help us do this,

00:02:18.669 --> 00:02:22.389
and I, for one, am constantly dependent on God

00:02:22.389 --> 00:02:26.090
for this ability, aren't you? Don't sit there

00:02:26.090 --> 00:02:29.210
struggling over how to forgive others. Stop and

00:02:29.210 --> 00:02:33.050
thank God for forgiving you. Bask in that pardon,

00:02:33.189 --> 00:02:36.310
and when it finally really sinks in, you will

00:02:36.310 --> 00:02:39.069
find forgiving others a lot easier than before.

00:02:39.310 --> 00:02:43.349
If it's still hard, you need to bask some more.