April 25

"Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6:12.

The August 25, 1984 issue of Insight magazine had an astounding article by Corrie Ten Boom, the author of The Hiding Place, the account of her years of horror in a Nazi concentration camp. Corrie was in Munich, Germany, and had just given a talk on forgiveness in one of the churches there. It was a message these defeated people needed desperately.

Corrie told them, "When we confess our sins, God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever. And even though I cannot find a scripture for it, I believe God then places a sign out there that says, `No fishing allowed.'" After the talk the people silently collected their wraps and started leaving the room.

It was then that she saw a man working his way toward her. One moment she saw his overcoat and the next she saw the blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. Memories crashed on her heart, as she recalled her sister and her walking naked past this very man. And here he was, one of the cruelest guards at Ravensbruck, coming toward her.

He praised her message and admitted that he had been a guard at Ravensbruck. He then asked her forgiveness, never recognizing her as one of the inmates there. We weep as we read of her struggle to maintain calm in front of this man. "But forgiveness is not an emotional knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart," she reasoned with herself. "And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes." She then relates, "I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then...It was the power of God."

Pat Nordman ©

Today's Bible Question ?

Who recognized Peter's voice after he was miraculously delivered from prison?"

Previous question and Answer: What were the names of Job's three "friends?" Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Job 2:11

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T H I N K A B O U T I T

The Jordan The River Jordan flows southward through the Holy Land.   For the most part it is neither beautiful nor peaceful.  It's 25 percent mud and plunges downhill at a furious pace, falling nine feet per mile. The 158-mile river begins in the snows of Mount Herman at a point 260 feet above sea level.  By the time it empties into the Dead Sea, at a point 1,287 feet below sea level, the water has reached the lowest point on earth. Ironically, the river that has inspired thousands of hymns sung by millions the world over, and on whose banks the words were uttered that influenced the course of mankind, today serves as a barrier for thirty miles for the hostile nations of Israel and Syria. Amid the unbeautiful, sometimes furious river, east of Jericho, there is a lovely bend called Makhadet-Al-Hijla, or the Ford of the Partridge.  It's a place of great beauty, shaded by willows and eucalyptus trees, much as it was in New Testament times.  Here, according to tradition, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. How symbolic.  The place of our baptism is a spot of beauty and peace amid a furious flowing river of hate and strife.  When Jesus was confronted by those who sought to take Him, He "went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode" (John 10:40). Whether at this location on the Jordan, or another, Jesus found refuge from the trials of life, at the place of His baptism.  And we can, too.  When difficulties seem more than we can bear, going back to our baptismal experience puts it all in perspective. Jack Gulledge, Ideas and Illustrations for Inspirational Talks, (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1986), 10-11

 

Today's  Devotion

 

 

 

But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.    Job 16:5 (NIV)

 

As A Sheep by Cathy Vinson   "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth" Isaiah 53:7 (NLT)

This passage in Isaiah was written about Christ some 700 years before His birth. Jesus was very definitely wronged. He was the spotless lamb that was led to slaughter. He was without sin, yet He was executed for my sins. Because of His sacrifice and triumph over death, we can have eternal life. Christ did for us because He loved us. As Christians, we are to live as Christ. When we are mistakenly wronged we can turn the incident into a opportunity to show our love. Living like Christ is not easy – but we do have His help as well as His example. When we fail, we still have His love and forgiveness. There is no greater opportunity to influence our fellow man for Christ than to respond with love when we have been mistakenly wronged. This is when the difference between Christian love and the values of the world are most brilliantly evident. Dr. James Dobson © Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion.

He was without sin, yet He was executed for my sins.

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