Abundantly Pardoned

This morning I was working on Wednesday’s Bible study, "Sermon on the Mount", when I realized something: The teachings/commands of our Lord God Almighty are so simple, yet it’s so difficult for us to obey Him. Just like Saul before he became the Apostle Paul (Acts 26:14), we kick against the goads over and over. Like stubborn oxen, we continue to struggle in an attempt to do things on our own. Jesus telling Saul that it was hard for him to kick against the goads causes me to wonder how long He had been trying to get Saul’s attention as Saul turned his back and walked the other way. How many times have we turned our backs on Jesus and kicked against the goads? Jesus had to strike Saul down and blind him to get the stubborn man’s attention (Acts 9:8; 22:11). Dear sisters, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be struck down and blinded because I am marching down my own road to Damascus! I want to continue in a full-blown relationship with the Lord, loving Him, obeying Him and following Him wherever He may lead me. I kicked against the goads for a long time, and this stubborn ox made some really bad choices. Dear sisters, I stand before you to say, please stay off that road to Damascus. Stay close to Jesus. Cling to Him. Listen to Him. Don’t be a stubborn ox. It will get you nowhere.

I’ve never been a patient woman, and I believe that impatience must be a human weakness. A friend of mine said patience is a big problem her. She said she prays, "Dear Lord, I need patience. Give it to me now!" I’m getting better, gradually as I mature in my Christian walk. James 1:3-4 tells us, "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (KJV) We have to be patient as patience grows and matures in us so that God can shape us into the vessels He can use for His kingdom. Have you ever jumped ahead of God’s plans for you? I have done that upon more than one occasion. The results were disastrous each time. I want to be a patient woman, and I want to be that person now, but God is busy molding me. I must be still and let Him do His work. He is the Master Craftsman, not me.

Being a woman who has never had a baby or who will never be able to have one is so difficult.  Until you have a baby, there is a part of you that always feels incomplete.  Isaiah 54:1 (NIV) says, “Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.” (see also Galatians 4:27)  A woman who is not a mother can be the mother of so many!  When a woman leads someone to Christ, that person leads someone, that one leads someone, and on and one.  More are the children of a woman who has no child of her own.  She will not only adopt children who have no parents, but she will also be a spiritual mother for the children of other women.  Mentoring is being a mother for others. God created women to be mothers in so many ways other than physically giving birth.  Oh, sing and shout for joy, because God created all women as mothers!

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”  (Romans 12:6 NIV)  Once you’ve accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit gives you special gifts.  You may have gifts that other people haven’t been given---gifts that seem strange to them.  You may even hear people making jokes about those gifts you possess.  They do that because they fear what they don’t understand.  You must be like Jesus when He said on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34 NIV) Ephesians 4:30 tells us, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…” (NIV)  The gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you are fitted like a suit for you, because the Holy Spirit knows you.  He will reveal to you how God wants you to use those gifts for Him. Keep in close touch with the Holy Spirit.

Life is busy, and if we don’t set priorities, we will find that our lives are controlling us.  God should be first place in our lives---our relationship with Him above all things and above all people.  We must stay in touch with Him and connect with Him at all times. “I am the Vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NIV) “Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV)  In this day of women working, it’s way too easy to neglect family.  Children can’t hold off on growing up while mom is rushing about in the mornings before going to work and in the evenings after work.  Harry Chapin did a song called “The Cat’s In the Cradle” in which a child keeps asking his father when he’s coming home. The father keeps saying he doesn’t know. At the end of the song, time has passed. The father is asking his son when he’s coming home, and his son keeps saying he doesn’t know.  Women find themselves too busy for God, too busy for their children, too busy for their husbands and too busy for their aging parents.  If we don’t spend much time with God, nothing else in our lives will flourish or make a difference.  Husbands and aging parents won’t live forever.  Children don’t stay children.  We must surrender our priorities to the Lord, allowing Him to set our schedules and run our lives.  When Martha complained about her sister sitting at the feet of Jesus instead of “making preparations” with her, Jesus told her, “…you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42 NIV)  You single moms are probably saying, “Hey, come and walk in my shoes awhile.”  Dear sisters, I’ve been a single mom for years and years.  I know how difficult it is to work all the time, missing out on baby’s first words and first steps.  And you come dragging in from work at night with your head pounding and your body aching, and you just want to crawl into bed and go to sleep.  For years I lived that life without a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Looking back, I now know that I could have been saying, “For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13 NLT) I could have been leaning on the Lord’s strength instead of my own.  Life is difficult, and we single moms will probably spend our golden years as Wal-Mart door greeters, but we have our Lord Jesus, hallelujah!  We can do anything and stand tall with our Lord Jesus.  May God bless every one of you busy women!

Are accusatory fingers pointing toward you or tongues wagging over the person you used to be when sin ruled your life?  Are people reluctant to forget or forgive your past sins even though the Lord has wrapped you in His amazing grace?  Hallelujah, sister!  This is your opportunity to step up to the plate and hit some home runs for the Lord.  This is your opportunity to give and be a living, breathing testimony about the forgiving grace of Jesus Christ.  It is your opportunity to declare to the world, “I am abundantly pardoned!” (Isaiah 55:7 NKJV) If the fingers continue to point and the tongues continue to wag, please know that when you relinquished your sinful past into the hands of Jesus Christ, all the angels in heaven celebrated.  There was a heavenly party just for you!  Dear sister, rise up and be joyful! Celebrate your freedom with the world!  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” (Romans 3:23-24 NIV)