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| Faithful Brother |
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The elder, the older brother, is the faithful one. He stayed home and did the right thing. He helped his father take care of the home, barns fences, and animals. He did not waist his or his father's money.
He was the "good" son. Bottom Line, Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." We show our love and committment by being obedient. That gives us access to the Father. Later in this story he did become a bit angry that the runaway son came home and was given a party. Then we read of how his father told him if there had been anything he wanted all he had to do, was ask. If you are staying obedient to the truths and words of your Father-in-Heaven you have complete access to the throne.
One area (even the "good" son had a problem with) that will cut us off from access to God is how we deal with forgiveness. This is the biggest trap Satan can set to cripple and eventually destroy you and me.
If the repentant Christian asked that his many sins be forgiven (impatience, gloom, self-occupation, unloving prejudices, reckless tongue, feverish desires and lust), then he must be willing to likewise forgive his errant brothers and sisters.
Hardness of the heart is not unforgivable by God; however, it is one sin that dooms more people to hell (even to a hell on earth) than the most favorite vices of Satan. Why, is that? It is a sin that is seldom recognized and thus it is not laid on the altar of sacrifice. We continually hear, "I didn't do anything wrong." "It's not my problem." "I'm happy, I sing at church; I even prophecy and pray in the Spirit." "So I must be okay, with God." We easily forget the verse where Jesus denies entrance into Heaven to those who are protesting how they had cured the sick and cast out demons in His name.
We so quickly forget Paul's warning that it is all clanging cymbals and tinkling bells if we don't operate in love. A client in my office brought up the subject of an offence he had suffered from a friend and how it had about destroyed their relationship. I suggested that he had to love him regardless. His reply was, "I do love him, I even pray for him, but we will never be friends any more. Because of time restraints I wasn't able to go further in the conversation at that time and we haven't had opportunity to talk since; but you can probably relate to that way of thinking amoung some of your own aquaintances. Forgiveness is NOT forgiveness until you can run to the other person hug them and invite them to dinner as though nothing had ever happened. This is one of Satan's favorite ways of cutting off the blessings of your Father.
The citizens of Nazareth were not able to receive healing and miracles from the very hand of God; because, their minds were made up. To them Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary. They would see it no other way. They hardened their hearts toward all attempts to show them anything else. They drove Him from their city.
When they heard reports of all the wonders happening at His hand from surrounding villages what were their thoughts do you imagine?
1. We were wrong let us repent (turn our thinking around) and invite Him back.
2. Don’t those ‘dummies’ know He is NOT the Son of God? He is sure coning them.
Hardness of the heart is usually ‘self-righteousness’ or pride. In either case the problem lies in the inability to see a need for repentance thus sealing ones doom.
We say, “If he crawls on his knees long enough; if he/she comes to me first then I will forgive.”
These same people (none of us are exempt from this disease – but we must recognize it immediately to live) have no problem bowing to God, whom they perceive as a ‘greater’ power, and asking His mercy; but will quickly condemn any contemporary (particularly one of less status than themselves) for any offense they have caused. We preceive that God knows we mean well and we are so good. We forget He wrote "As you measure so shall it be measured back unto you." "As you sow so shall you reap." Jesus asked, "When I was naked; did you clothe me?" James wrote, "You say you have faith? I will show you my faith by my works."
“Thou knowest well how to excuse and color thine own deeds; but thou art not willing to receive the excuses of others. It would be more just to accuse yourself, and excuse your brother.” Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471)
To excuse those who can come up with proper and acceptable excuses is not to show oneself a charitable Christian; that is only being fair.
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in us.
This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single injury. But to forgive the reoccurring transgressions that come our way daily -- to keep forgiving the cutting tongue of co-workers, uninvited ridicule, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish and deceitful son or daughter – becomes the most difficult of all things and ultimately more dangerous even than the appeals of the flesh.
Remember, Peter even asked Jesus, “Shall we forgive seven (7) times in a day? And Jesus’ answer to him was, “No; seventy (70) times seven (7).” In short He was saying there is not limit to forgiveness.
We need to realize that it is not just a form of ‘religiousity;’ a ritual to be recited when we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
I am convinced we are offered forgiveness from God on NO other terms.
To refuse it means to harden your heart towards the one who needs forgiveness. No, you cannot say in your heart, “I forgive them; but, I will never talk to them again.” Did Jesus forgive you of all your evil then never hugged and kissed you again?
I stand before you forgiven or condemned by the very words on this page. There are no hints in scripture of any exceptions; and there are no scriptures in which God has ever, ever, graded on a curve. He never allowed forgiveness based on balancing scales to determine whither one is “more good than evil.” God means what He says and says what He means.
RWGrace Oct. 24, 2006
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