Forgiveness and Faith.

Jesus tells us that rebuking is important, but so is forgiveness…

Luke 17:3-6
3 So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

There are many instances in the Gospel where Jesus has to teach in a very stern manner. In this particular verse, he hits straight at our family members. To rebuke, the forgive if they repent. Repentance is an important step. Too many times we think that when we sin we are supposed to walk around in a sorry state of mind and punish ourselves.

Repentance is not about punishing ourselves. It’s about placing the sin at the feet of Jesus, and then asking the Holy Spirit to come into our lives to change our root beliefs to be more like Jesus. Sometimes it happens instantaneously. Many times it takes longer. Don’t despair.  The healing is done, your body just hasn’t gotten the message yet. Ask for help. Ask for prayer. It will happen.

Amen.
DK