Forgiveness

One of the keys to maintaining a positive and influential relationship with your teenager (or any other person for that matter) is to be aware of and address a wounded spirit. The Bible tells us that a wounded spirit is hard to bear, that strife can separate friends, and that offenses bring with them a hardness of heart. If an offense in our home occurs, just imagine all the damage that can be done.

People are dangerous! Our sinfulness often brings with it the capacity to hurt others. We hurt one another with the words we say and with the things we do or forget to do. Sometimes we injure our relationships with others through carelessness or negligence.

Two of the greatest preachers that ever lived pastored in London at the same time. Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had large churches in those days.

I once received a note in the mail from one of our teenagers. I had written her, complimenting her on an important part she had played in a school play. The note was special for several reasons.

We have all met people who don’t understand God. They blame God for a lot of things He didn’t cause.

Scripture tells us that the devil is a liar. One lie he tells is that we can sin and get away with it. Perhaps a worse lie is that once we do sin, God doesn’t want us back. Even after Christians repent and return to fellowship with God, the devil tries to make them think that they are now second-class citizens.

One of the most often rehearsed quotes from the lips of the apostle Paul can be found in the third chapter of the book of Philippians. After listing all the things he has been through—both good and bad—he reaffirms his intention to continue to pursue Christ by saying:

For several nights in a row I had felt a slight pain in my stomach while I was preaching. I didn’t think much of it—I chalked it up to be something I ate or perhaps the early symptoms of the flu. It was Saturday night, and I was exhausted from driving just over a thousand miles to a church where I would be privileged to speak all day on Sunday.

One of the things that I like about our calendar system is that every 24 hours we get a brand new day that affords us the opportunity of a fresh start. Here we are in 2011.

Oftentimes in our churches, pastors are confronted with those who have blown it spiritually. These folks feel like “leftovers” or “has-beens.”

When I was a child, I was like most kids—I thought life was always supposed to be fair. As I grew older, I began to realize that life is not always fair.

People are not perfect, and to makes matters worse, saved people are not perfect. Jesus said in Luke 17:1, “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come.” He says emphatically that offences will come—note the word impossible.

Lingering offenses strain relationships between brothers and sisters in God’s family. Remember, we are members one of another, and that connection is damaged by offenses. Satan is out to destroy your Christian walk, divide believers, and weaken the body of Christ.