Wholy4Christ

Day 36: “Love your enemies! Do good to them!…Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. YOU MUST BE COMPASSIONATE, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS COMPASSIONATE.” Luke 6:35-36

As God is generous to the wicked who persecuted Christ, as He is compassionate to those who knew Him and yet failed to love Him, so we are to treat others who hate and despise us. The words of Jesus do not say that we will be rewarded in heaven by loving our enemies, but that our reward COMES from heaven. Our reward is that we are redeemed, reconciled and sanctified by Christ and the Father in Heaven.

When we do good to those who persecute us, who mock us and who hate us, God sees that we truly love Him! Yet if we treat our enemies the same as we are treated by them, we show that we haven’t the compassion that God had for us when we where His enemies. That is the cause and effect of Christ’s love for us, that when we were still enemies of God, He sent His Beloved Son to redeem us that we should know that He Loved us even in our rebellion.

It is a hard thing that you ask of us, Dear LORD, that we should forgive and even love those who hate us. Give us the strength to endure, yet also to love and do good to those who wish only to harm us. Teach me in the depths of my heart the love that you had for us while we still where in rebellion form your Law. Then I can see how to love others as you still love me. Amen

Day 37: “…Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you, but if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:11-15 (NLT)

“The Lord’s Prayer,” is the instructions to pray rightly. But have you regarded the statement Jesus made following the lesson on how to pray? It is the only condition God puts on man for His Forgiveness. If you fail to forgive, God will not grant you the forgiveness of Salvation.

We ask the Lord to forgive us AS we forgive others. We ask that we yield to temptation nor be fooled by the Evil One, Satan, but we often fail to keep our word to God. Before we enter into His Tabernacle and offer ourselves up to His Holy Name, we are to enter into peace with our brethren, both those numbered among the believer and those who have not yet met with Christ.

Grant us the grace to forgive that we may be worthy to receive your mercy, O Lord. Teach us how to enter into peace with those we have sinned against and among those who sin against us. I fear the wrath of Your judgement but I fear the lose of your loving care. Open my heart that I might forgive as you seek to forgive me. Amen

Day 38: The Lord’s Supper. “And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My Body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them saying, ‘Drink from it, ALL of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Matthew 26:26-28

When Jesus spoke these words He did two things; He initiated what we call Holy Communion or the “Lord’s Supper” and He began the covenant of Forgiveness. This body that was to be broken and this blood that was to be spilt was to fulfill many covenants of God, form the Covenant of Abraham with the Covenant with Abraham, sealed with the blood offering of the heifer, goat, ram, turtledove, and pigeon (Gen 15:9), to the offering of the lamb’s blood on the door posts in Egypt (Exodus 12:6-7), to the Promise to Isaiah to redeem His People (Isaiah 59:20-21). All the covenants are fulfilled by those words of Jesus, “My blood poured out for the forgiveness of sin.” Rejoice and be Glad, for this is the day of the Lord.

Praise be Your Holy Name! Blessed is the Lamb of God whose blood was shed that we might have the forgiveness of the Father. Grant us this day, the blessings of Your Salvation and the Mercies of Your Love. Let us eat and drink of Your Glory , O Lord and not be ashamed in it. Amen

Day 39: “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing.’” Luke 23:34

Are we not aware that our sins put Christ on the Cross? Do we not forget that because we are sinners and we fail daily to Love God in fullness, that Christ was offered up in torment and grief? Oh that we are so weak, we seek to destroy ourselves wit the pleasures of the flesh and the desires of the mortal mind rather than serve in obedience to the Love of Our Father in Heaven. Yet we know that we are called to obey, to serve and to forgive. By our words, our actions and pour thoughts, we condemn Jesus to the Cross. Because no sacrifice is sufficient for our offences but the blood offering of the unblemished Lamb of God to atone for the evil that lives with us, Jesus was given for us.

But the Offering was complete! Let us live in true obedience, forgiving as we are forgiven and blessing as we are blessed. This is the most joyful and the most sorrowful day of the history of man. that God offered Himself up for our weakness and follies that we might have the Union with Him who created us forever.

Blessed is the Name of the Lord! Long live the King! hew who died is the Salvation of Man! We offer You Praise and Thanksgiving, for this is the Day that was long waited for by old. May the saints in Heaven and the saints on earth rejoice together for the Mercies of the Father and the Blessings of the Blood of the Lamb of God. Amen

Day 40: “Once your were not a people. now you are the people of God. Once you received none of God’s mercy, now you have received His mercy.” 1 Peter 1:10