Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Secret Life Shouted

Our children believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ because of two actions that we repeat in front of them again and again: We repent and we forgive.

Parents reveal their personal relationship with God through how clearly and consistently they repent and forgive. If their repentance is muddled with excuses and partial repentance the children will be confused morally and probably establish their own moral lines in their life.

The best way to preach the gospel is to live it before your children and let them testify. The worst way is to live partially the Christian life and have your children testify. Either way, they will testify.

Fathers: the greatest gift you can give to your children is the bold gift of repentance and forgiveness. I believe the thing that centers a son more than anything else is that the father fears God. Good fear that is authored by the presence of God and Jesus Christ centers the son on the Son.

Repentance is the immediate and complete obedience to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and the testimony of the Body of Christ. The repentance begins in the heart and overflows into the soul, mind, will and emotions.

The discipline of forgiveness is a desperate attempt to say thank you to God for our own forgiveness. If I have a hard time forgiving someone then I have a harder time receiving forgiveness from God. He who has a giving problem ALWAYS has a receiving problem.

Forgiveness is always unconditional, not to be confused with reconciliation  and is because of the Agape Grip of God on the believer's heart. Forgiveness should always be given once the offense is realized and grieved. Reconciliation happens when the offender owns the wounds they have caused without excuse or escape. The Holy Spirit ALWAYS marks the repentee with a scar that matches the one they wounded. The scar is not has deep nor as traumatic but it is now a scar they share. This makes reconciliation possible.

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