Forgive seven times in one day

“Take heed to your selves; if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.” (Luke 17:3)

That makes me feel a little better. Somehow I got the feeling that as Christens we are suppose to forgive in silence. I am glad to know that if someone does something against me I can say, “Hey those were my toes you stepped on. That really hurt.”   Then IF he repents I will forgive him. Sometimes I get so hung up on letting go of the hurt that I forget the part about rebuking that I forgive him anyway. What happens when I do that is that I don’t give the other person an opportunity to hear my side of the story and see why they need to repent. Maybe there is something I need to hear also that I was also at fault.

I try to be Christ-like in my dealings and try to think how Christ would handle the situation and yet sometimes I lose my cool. There are several people with whom I have a standing misunderstanding. I don’t know if they intentionally go out of their way to rile me or what, but it happens. I think that’s covered in the next verse. “And if he trespasses against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying I repent, forgive him.”

 But here again he repented. The Lord did not say what to do if they don’t repent. I know that from experience I have to let it go and consider the source, but I really like the apostles response to forgiving seven times in a day.  Lord. "Increase our Faith.” Amen

Jesus bestowes the Priesthood on his disciples

This post will be best understood by Latter Day Saints though anyone is welcome to read it.

Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. He bestowed upon them the priesthood which gives them power and authority to act in the name of God – to exercise by faith power over all devils and to cure diseases. “All devils” suggest to me that there are different degrees or levels of evil or of devils, just as there are different offices of the priesthood. So here he made them High Priest so that they had power over all devils and the ability to cure diseases according to the will of the Father and according to the faith of the recipient.  

He told them to take nothing for their journey neither staves, nor script, neither food, nor more than one coat.( Luke 9:1 – 6) They were to go in faith that they would be cared for. Sometimes that did mean that they stumbled upon what they needed at the moment they needed it, but it also meant that they were willing to lift a bale or tote a bucket to help someone else as well as themselves. They were willing to work for their supper.  It happens in my life and I see it happening in the lives of others as long as we are willing to do what we can, we will be provided for.

There is a story told about a man clinging to his roof during a flood. A helicopter came by and lowered a rope for him. He waved them on saying the Lord would deliver him. A little later a boat came by willing to take him to shore. He again waved them on saying the Lord would deliver him. The water got higher and higher until the man drowned. He got to Heaven and he said Lord why did you not rescue me? The Lord said, I sent a helicopter and I sent a boat. You refused both.

The Lord is not a showman. There is a purpose in everything he does. It is for our learning and growth, or it strengths us so that we also can call down the power of Heaven. Yes, even if you are a woman. This thing about women receiving the priesthood is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. The priesthood is for the administration of offices and that is fine for the men, but I know for a fact that a worthy woman of faith will never be denied a blessing because of her gender. In the first place there are ministering angels at our side every step of the way. I dare say my deceased husband has given me as many blessing from beyond the veil as he did when he was alive. Besides that the priesthood operates on faith and prayer. A child can do that and so can a woman or even a non - Mormon.  

The woman who washed Jesus feet with her tears.

Luke 7: 36 – 50 records that a woman who was a sinner heard that Jesus would dine at a Pharisees house. She brought an alabaster box of ointment and stood at his feet weeping. She washed his dusty feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair and then anointed his feet with the ointment.  My King James version of the Bible states  “Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet would have known who and what manner of woman  this is that touches him; for she is a sinner.”

Christ then gives a parable about a man with two debtors, one owed ten times as much as the other, but the creditor forgave them both.  Which of these would love him the most?  Simon answered that he supposed the one who owed the most. This woman had so much more to give up that the Pharisee who had not washed Christ feet nor anointed his head or his feet.

Do we sometimes get so “good” that we don’t have much to repent of? In so doing do we sometimes overlook small infractions?  Oh, I’m not saying we need to walk around with a persecution complex, but we do need to be careful and stay humble. None of us are above sin despite all the good we have done. As Ross Perot said, what have you done (for the company, or in this case for Christ) lately?

Christ forgave the woman her sins,  and said, “She loved much , but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little… and he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”

In other words she had repented, had recognized herself as a sinner, and had thrown herself at Jesus feet in faith and was forgiven.    

If I would but have Faith

A certain woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years spent all that she had, and the physicians could not heal her. When she heard of Jesus she said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” When she touched his garment the blood stopped and she felt whole. Jesus immediately felt virtue go out of him and asked, “Who touched me?” There were people all around Jesus, all wanting to be healed and the disciples wondered why he would notice one person touching him. (Mark 5:25-29)

It makes me think of the power of prayer. Jesus is not in our mist that we could now reach out and touch his garments, but we can touch him in spirit by the power of prayer. Think of all the millions and millions of prayer request he gets daily. Think of all the rote prayers among the sincere prayers that might be compared to the curious in the throng. Yes, I have been guilty of these same kinds of utterances, as if my request might be answered because of repetition.  A prayer of, what would thou have me do, show me how I need to change the way I look at this situation. Or a prayer of soften MY heart that I may learn thy will would be more effective. If I would be a do’er not a whiner my prayers might be answered faster.

This woman knew that the crowd around Christ would be great and she didn’t ask for a public display of her faith. If I could touch but the hem of his garment (Matt 14:36) I will be healed, she said. And when he asked who touched him, imagine her astonishment that he had noticed. Then trembling she came and fell down before him and confessed. “And he said unto her. Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole, go in peace, and be whole of the plague.”

It is our faith that makes us whole, that heals us, and brings miracles into our lives. May we all grow in faith on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I pray in his holy name.    

Faith

Jesus was alone with the disciples praying, and he asked them, “Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist, some say Elias, others say one of the old prophets is risen. “But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. And he straightly charged them and commanded them to tell no man that thing.” (Luke 9: 18 – 21)

It was necessary that they would remain on the earth to carry on the work. All would have been lost if they were killed trying to defend him. It was his work, his mission to take upon him the sins of the world and to die for us. They had to be in the world to carry on the work. We know that in time the church, or the organization he established on the earth did fall. But Christ knew this would happen. It was part of the plan, to see who would recognize the truth and follow him in the end times. But now they needed to have faith and understand that He, “ must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priest and scribes, and be slain, and be raised again the third day.” (Luke 9:22)

Think of how hard that would be to see your friend, that you loved and admired so much walk willing to his death. It was a test of faith for them and so very difficult.