Forgiveness

“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

Recently, I was working on something that normally I could do on my own, but I was having some trouble with it and this time it was important that it be done really well and look good. So I decided to call James. James had just started his own business, so I turned it over to him and he did an outstanding job, far better than I imagined, and for a very reasonable price. And as I was paying him, I took a moment to just look at him… I was so proud of him. Because he was doing so well and had come so far.

Because about 10 years ago, I was visiting James in prison.

James (not his real name) grew up in a good family. He was raised in church. He was smart and talented. But he started getting involved in the wrong crowd. He began abusing alcohol and drugs. And one night, it all caught up with him. He made some really bad choices and he was arrested. And he should have been arrested; he was guilty, guilty of several very serious crimes. I remember seeing him soon after he was arrested. As soon as he saw my face, he hung his head and wept, saying “I’m so sorry”… I assured James that I was still his friend and I still loved him. But then he kept saying “my life is over”. I told him instead to try to look at it another way. I said “James, if you let God forgive you, it will mean your OLD life is over… it was a life you were never meant to live anyway.” I reminded him that many of the people God used in the Bible were people who made terrible mistakes. God forgave them and still gave them a life worth living. Murderers like Moses and David. Prostitutes like Rahab and Mary Magdalene. People we would write off as done and never give a second chance… Jesus looks at them and says “Father forgive them…”

Remember this about our Lord… He PREFERS forgiveness over punishment. He would rather us turn to Him. James had a hard time accepting God’s forgiveness. But once he did, God put him on a new path where James could find joy again and use the skills God gave him to serve others. Shouldn’t we treat others the same way?

One day soon, you may meet someone at their bottom. They may be guilty as the day is long, they may have done terrible things. And they will probably think their life is over. God may put you in position to teach them about God’s forgiveness. God may not be so much as punishing them as He is changing them, shaping them into something for the future, for a time when they can be living testimonies to the amazing, transformative power of God’s forgiveness.

“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11