"THE
STEPS
TO
FORGIVENESS"
Written
by Johanna Hobrath
[Article
for the September 2005 Halo E-Newsletter]
On
August 10, 2005, as I sat at my writing desk, the above title for
this article came to my heart and mind.
I
believe the September 2005 Newsletter does not only speak to my
heart, but will strike a cord to many hearts.
FORGIVENESS
is a deep subject. If your life has always been a bed of
roses, I am then glad for you. However, roses carry thorns;
and the thorns or the wounds in life hurt. Remember, the human
being has emotions; and, how those emotions are handled will then
affect your life.
Scripture
tells us: "Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before," [Philippians
3:13]
Is the Apostle Paul telling the church in Philippi to totally forget
what is in the past? Verse
14
tells us that the aim that the apostle Paul was striving for was his
focusing toward "the
high calling of
God".
This, then, also includes forgiving people that have hurt you during
the present time or, perhaps, over many decades. Therefore,
dear friends, we are to move on and focus upon the high calling that
God has for your life and/or for my life.
As
a parent, my memories take me to the growing up years of my
sons. Was I a perfect parent during the years when my sons
were growing up? Psychiatrists and/or psychologists have much
knowledge in the field of human endeavor. Years ago, the words
of a parent were to be obeyed without question. Where, then,
does the expansion of a child's freedom come in?
However,
the Bible does teach us about boundaries. Adam and Eve lived
in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is referred to a
beautiful paradise. This paradise probably displayed flowers,
trees, shrubs, lilies of the valley, rose of Sharon, etc. [Genesis
2:9] Scripture
tells us that God visited Adam and Eve "in
the cool of the day" (Genesis 3:8). God
gave Adam and Eve the free will to roam this beautiful
paradise. This roaming, however, included a certain obedience
or boundary from God. You could say that Adam and Eve were to
live within a certain boundary. [Genesis
2:17; 3:3]
Today,
children are to grow up knowing that their characters are being
shaped by their parents, and/or grandparents, etc. Like in the
Garden of Eden, God provided a boundary for Adam and Eve. The
boundaries for children may be taught in a loving and/or firm tone.
Memories
of the past are precious. However, the thorns in life must be
placed into perspective; and, at times, forgiveness must be applied
to people that have harbored gossip. Forgiveness toward others
will give you or me a sweet fragrance like the "lilies of the
valley"! [Scripture speaks about a Bridegroom - the Lord Jesus
- as "the
rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys". Song of
Solomon 2:1]
FORGIVENESS
. . . What a powerful word in any life of a Christian!
|
It
is not
y
o u r
"past"
t
h a t
brings |
|
you
to Heaven. It is not the "now" that gives
you the privilege. It is not |
|
the
future
that
holds
the key. It is Jesus' Blood, shed for you and me, on
the Cross of Calvary.
/JH |
Quotation
: “Is Jesus pleased with me today?” August 23, 2005 JH
The
Steps to Forgiveness is: SALVATION!
Click http://www.haloministries.net/Salvation.htm.
Until
Next Time - Regards, Johanna
Addition
to the September 2005 Halo Newsletter:
September
5, 2005: On Sunday morning, September 4, 2005, I stood
during the portion of the church's worship service. My heart
was lifted up in prayer to God. My thoughts dwelled upon the
thousands of Katrina's hurricane victims, and I petitioned that God
would send comfort and wisdom to those people. Also, my
prayerful thoughts focused upon the many relief efforts of the
individual/business sectors as well as the government officials and
the President of these United States of America. That morning,
Sunday, September 4th, an offering was taken during the Church
Service for the purpose of financially helping the hurricane
victims.
(During
World War II, it was the Red Cross that helped my two brothers and I
to be reunited with our mother. The Red Cross is a credible
organization that helps people that find themselves victims of dire
circumstances.)
For
more information about the Red Cross, click http://www.redcross.org.
One
of the web pages, from the Red Cross, has two paragraphs that read
as follows:
'
"We don’t want to discourage people who want to help,"
said Lepof. "But, making a financial gift to support the
relief operations really is the best way for people to help after a
disaster like this.' "
'Monetary
financial contributions enable the Red Cross to support the greatest
needs in the most efficient manner. Cash can be used to
purchase items in adjacent, staging areas and eliminate the added
costs involved in transporting goods.'
For
additional information, please click http://www.redcross.org
and click in your zip code. You will then be directed to a Red
Cross Organization within your area. Donations is:
"People helping people that need love and hope. JH"
Johanna
The
following information is provided for additional reading:
For
many years now, my zeal for the religious writing ministry has
brought about the HALO
MINISTRIES.
The HALO
MINISTRIES
is presently an internet ministry. Without being flamboyant ,
I am grateful to be working for this worthwhile internet
ministry. May I state that "the
Halo Ministries is a worldwide ministry, and the pulpit is located
via http://www.haloministries.net."
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An
interesting article about the Garden of Eden may be accessed via http://www.haloministries.net/GardenofEden.htm.
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The
GRACE
OF GOD
speaks bountifully about FORGIVENESS.
An article on the Halo Ministries’ Website speaks about the Grace
of God. To access the article about the Grace of God, please
click http://www.haloministries.net/graceandpoem.htm.
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The
Day Spring Company has many movies with various themes. One of
the movies shares beautiful Christian Love Verses with Music and
awesome Floral Photos. It may take some time to load a movie
onto your computer; however, those web pages are worthwhile to
view. For the Love Verses from the Holy Bible, click
http://www.dayspring.com/movies/view.asp?moviename=loveverses.swf
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The
internet shares outstanding poetry that are written by many
writers. Poetry is an expression of the heart and soul.
A friend of mine send a URL address that made reference to the poem
entitled "Stepping
Stones". The
poem entitled
"Stepping Stones" makes
reference to the reality of life; and yet, gives comforting
knowledge that Jesus is with you in those trying times. Please
take time to click the following URL (or paste the web address into
your browser).
http://www.positivethoughts.com/steppingstones.htm?id=johanna%40haloministries.net
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When
reading profound articles, as noted above, I rejoice that America
does have the freedom to worship God and that He gives peace to one’s
heart and soul.
The
internet is a wonderful tool; however, when selecting websites
and/or articles that are readily made available,
