Words from the Heart

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Luke 23:34 NIV

Forgive Them

According to Canadian Living Magazine, turn on any daytime talk show and you’ll likely find a story involving the deceit of another partner. Television embellishes for the sake of ratings, but in real life every relationship comes with its ups and downs. Finding a way to forgive is a necessary part of the healing process and it doesn’t mean you have to condone or agree with the behaviour, says Toronto psychotherapist Dorothy Ratusny.

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It doesn’t take long on social media to run across the post-modern atheist who proclaims that we Christians are following some non-existent deity. They usually go on to deny that there is any such thing as sin – which is a pretty prideful idea, and certainly not supported by a cursory look at human nature. Jesus, our Creator, far from a non-existent deity, says that those who deny their sin are lying, and that the very reason Jesus came was because of the sin that infests every human heart and has impacted the entire world. Jesus came to bear the punishment our sin requires and to lift that sin, replacing it with His righteousness. We see Jesus’ great compassion when He says, in Luke 23:34: “‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” He is praying this on behalf of those who had put Him through all He had been through in his arrest and kangaroo court. Yes, even them. It doesn’t matter what you have done with your life, and how many times you have failed God and others. Jesus still prays, “Father, forgive.”

These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley