CANCELLED!

Having finished the four Gospels, I intend to move on into the book of Acts.  Before I go on,  though, I wanted to address a concern I have as I look at my prayer list and pray for several individuals.  As I look at the list, I see in some lives very valid hurts which may or may not ever have been reconciled or been confronted for resolve and healing.  As a result, self-deception may set in, and the root of bitterness moves in to become a stronghold and may not be recognized by the individual. But at the mention of a name or memory, which has been pushed deeply into the recesses of  the sub-conscious which is a very familiar method of dealing with hurts, the emotion surfaces...usually anger.  

In Googling, not looking for a "spiritual definition", I found this definition from charminghealth.com, "Bitterness implies frozen form of latent anger and resentment.  Bitterness is being constantly hurt by a memory and is holding on to a hurt until it has a hold on you.  It is the unhealthiest emotion you can have."  Out of bitterness, another source  by Laura Kronen  suggests:  It is the desire to make someone pay.  It is fueled by a vindictiveness.  It is a wading in self-pity.  It looks for a fight.  The individual is drowning in resentment, animosity, and pride because it is all about me.  I know absolutely nothing about Laura Kronen...just some thoughts.

One of my most favorite passages is Colossians 2:13-15, "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  HE FORGAVE US ALL OUR SINS, HAVING CANCELED THE WRITTEN CODE, WITH IT REGULATIONS THAT WAS AGAINST US AND THAT STOOD OPPOSED TO US; HE TOOK IT AWAY, NAILING IT TO THE CROSS.  AND HAVING DISARMED THE POWERS AND AUTHORITIES, HE MADE A PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF THEM, TRIUMPHING OVER THEM BY THE CROSS."   

Observations from the passage:
1.  Note we were not sick and needed a doctor, but we were DEAD and needed a Savior.
2.  He made us alive in Him...alive from the dead.  
3.  He forgave us all our sins...the word forgave used in this passage is a form of the Greek word, charis, GRACE!
4.  Having canceled:  the action is a compound of two words in the Greek to anoint and to wipe out.  The action suggests completely obliterate. Your sins and mine were obliterated completely.
5.  We had legal indictments against us, placed there by a perfect God, who said we have ignored, broken, and rebelled against His commandments, His very Words given to us for protection and love. 
6.  Basically, we have a spiritual ledger sheet that when the Divine Accountant viewed them, He well knew our spiritual bankruptcy, I mean it was screamingly obvious, and  He was willing by the Cross, to place in your and my bankrupt spiritual ledger, the righteousness of Christ so that we could enter into relationship with Him by His grace and our response, faith, to receive the offer He made.  
7.  Our indictments, listed sins, by His forgiving action of grace, by obliterating them, HE personally NAILED THEM TO THE CROSS!  
8.  Since my sins and yours have been nailed to the Cross, obliterating them completely, and we have experienced HIS grace to forgive us, what should be my response toward those who have offended me?  I can hold on and deny any resentment and bitterness, or by faith, move into forgiveness for the offenses.  I remind you, that our emotions have no intelligence....they are feelers!  By the action of obedience and faith, my emotions can catch up and we can experience genuine forgiveness and healing.  I am compelled to forgive AS I have been forgiven...that is a tough standard I realize, but I also know that a PERFECT GOD WHO HATES SIN HAS FORGIVEN MY SIN COMPLETELY, so surely I can call upon the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells me, to offer forgiveness.  The Spirit will convict me as to whether I need to speak forgiveness to the person or whether I need to move into the obedience of the action and forgive.  How the action is carried out is entrusted to Him.  For my spiritual, emotional, and physical health, I choose forgiveness.  Forever learning.  In process.  #IHAVETHREESONS.