Get Encouraged

Tag: Forgiveness

  • Discovering Forgiveness This Christmas Season

    Have you ever had a moment when something suddenly clicks—when hope, long waited for, finally shows up? The Christmas story is full of those moments, and one of the most overlooked yet powerful ones comes from an elderly woman named Anna. Her brief appearance in Scripture offers a life-changing reminder for anyone carrying guilt, regret, or a longing for a fresh start.

    Anna’s Message of Redemption

    It was an exciting day at the temple. Mary and Joseph brought eight-day-old Jesus to fulfill the law regarding circumcision, and much had already taken place. Simeon had just spoken words of comfort and peace over the child—words that left Mary and Joseph marveling. Then Anna arrived.

    Luke 2:38 tells us, “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”
    While Simeon saw comfort and peace, Anna saw something equally profound: forgiveness.

    For Anna, the word redemption carried the weight of Israel’s history—Egyptian bondage, Passover, and God’s mighty rescue. Passover ultimately pointed forward to Jesus, who would redeem His people from the slavery of sin. The moment Anna saw Jesus, she couldn’t stay silent. She thanked God and began telling anyone who would listen that the Redeemer had come.

    A Savior for Those Who Need a Fresh Start

    Maybe this has been your year of mistakes. Maybe regret follows you around like a shadow, reminding you of what you wish you could undo. If so, Anna’s message is for you.

    Jesus offers forgiveness—real forgiveness.
    The angel said it best on the night of His birth: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord.”

    Forgiveness began on the first Christmas. Freedom from the past is part of the gift.

    Pause and Receive the Gift of Grace

    Take time today to breathe in the truth Anna celebrated:
    Through Christ, forgiveness is yours.

    Thank you for reading. If this encouraged you, please share this post with someone who could use a reminder of God’s redemption.

  • He Landed the Part

    Leon was the innkeeper. He was so excited to have finally landed the part, and he practiced for weeks. He had his lines – well, line – perfect.

    “There’s no room in the inn,” is all Leon had to say, but Leon became so emotionally involved in the part and the Christmas story that he added a few lines.

    There’s no room in the inn,” he said, “but Jesus you can have my room. Jesus, you can have it all!”

    Leon may have messed up a little, but his extra lines inspire a question. How well do we allow Jesus to have everything?

    From the worries surrounding our finances to the burden of guilt for yesterday’s mistakes, do we allow Jesus to have it all?

    Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30(.

    Merry Christmas! I hope you have a joyous celebration today.

  • Visited and Redeemed

    Jesus’ birth is a miracle, and leading up to his coming, the Lord performed another miracle through Zachariah and Elizabeth. Luke’s Gospel tells us they were older, so no one expected them to have a child. The Lord had another plan though. As the Lord promised to Zachariah in the temple, Elizabeth gave birth to a son. As everyone was celebrating the birth, Zachariah helps us see his son, John, was going to be a forerunner for someone awesome!

    Zachariah says in Luke 1:68-70, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.” Many were waiting, and now it was time for the Lord’s visit and redemption.

    Has Visited

    The Bible teaches Jesus is the one who has come from God full of mercy and truth. John 1:14-17 says, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness, and we have seen his glory – the glory of the Father’s One and Only son. John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, ‘This is the one I was talking about when I said someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am. For he existed long before me.’ From his abundance we have received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ!”

    Charles Stanley writes, “Jesus is far more than just a great teacher or a mighty prophet. In fact, he is God with us. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature because he is God himself. Whatever Jesus does, he does with grace. Whatever he says, he says in truth. If you want to understand what God is like, look to Jesus.”

    John 1:18 teaches, “No one has ever seen God, but the unique one who is himself God is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” He has revealed God’s grace and truth, and he has come to be with us. He has come to redeem us.

    Has Redeemed

    Zachariah said the Lord sent a mighty Savior. Another way to say it is the Lord has risen a horn of salvation for us. Jesus has come with all power and might to be on our side. If God is for us, who can be against us? No one! The Lord is more powerful than anyone or anything. He has come to save us. The work is already done, and the gift of redemption is under God’s Christmas tree. We just have to receive it.

    As you open all your gifts this year, consider opening the gift of God’s grace.

    Thanks for reading, and please share.

  • Holy Monday: A Reminder Forgiveness is Free

    “When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves” (Mark 11:15-17).

    It was commonplace in Jesus’ day for the outer courtyard of the Temple to be a marketplace. Merchants had a variety of animals available for purchase. They were turning the need for sacrifice into a business; however, Jesus brings an end to it today.

    The Gospel writers tell us Jesus entered the Temple with a whip in hand. He overturned tables and prevented merchants from moving about. Basically, Jesus cleaned house. And, in doing so, reminds us all forgiveness is free.

    The Bible reminds us forgiveness is free. It is a gift given to us by the Lord. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. “

    As you begin the work week, remember to pause and thank the Lord for his gift of grace.

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  • Even Now…

    God’s people were going through a rocky time. There was calamity. There was war, difficulty, and divisiveness. Amid all that was happening, the Lord sent great encouragement through Joel.

    Joel 2:12-13 encourages, “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

    Notice the Lord’s declaration…

    Even now…

    • Even now, though you have caused calamity.
    • Even now, though the decisions that have been made left you in a whirlwind.
    • Even now, though you feel you’ve messed up horribly.

    …Return to me.

    We can return because of the Lord’s character. In verse 13, Joel is referring to the Lord’s own words in Exodus 34:6.

    “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

    Remember the Lord’s encouragement today. Even now, though life is rocky and messed up, we can return to him.

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  • His Plan

    David was reminded of God’s grace.

    David was in a season of turmoil. His family was a mess; there were many reasons for the messiness, and one of David’s advisors wanted to help him clean it up. He drafted a woman to tell David a parable.

    The parable consisted of a widow with two sons. One son murdered the other, and the community shouted for the murderer’s head. If he was convicted, the widow would have no hope of continuing her family line. She pleads for mercy from the king.

    David compassionately says she should receive mercy. Then, the woman applies the parable to David’s situation.

    She points out David has a banished son needing reconciliation, and reminds David God himself makes plans to enable a banished person to be reconciled to the Lord. 2 Samuel 14:14 says, “All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, but God does not just sweep life away. Instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.”

    Mistakes; they have been made. Regrets exist. The list of things we would not do or redo can be extensive, but God knows how to handle all of it.

    God has devised a plan to restore us to the family.

    “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only son, so everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his son into the world, not to judge the world but to save the world through him,” Jesus explains in John 3:16-17.

    Jesus also says in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

    Jesus is the plan which enables man and God to reconcile.

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  • His Invitation

    Everyone has made mistakes. When we look back at the past, we can beat ourselves up for a lot. We are all in need of grace.

    And, the good news is Jesus offers us grace.

    He has done a lot for us. From standing silent before his accusers to removing our guilt, Jesus brings much grace to us.

    Isaiah writes, “Yet it was our weaknesses that he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down, and we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins. But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole; he was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own, yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6).

    All of this was so he could bring us grace. “But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief, yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants, he will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied, and because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous. For he will bear all their sins” (Isaiah 53:10-11).

    Jesus came knowing all of this was going to be done, and he didn’t back away from any of it. He went through with the Lord’s plan so he could bring us grace, and he invites us to come and find peace with him.

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  • Silent for Us

    He was innocent, yet the people brought many false charges against him. The Roman official couldn’t find any reason to charge him, so he gave the people a choice. Who did they want released? The innocent or a known murderer were the options, and the people shouted for the murderer to go free.

    The trial came, and he remained silent. He offered no defense or accusation against his accusers. He was silent through it all: the trial, the verdict, and the punishment. He was innocent, but he remained silent for us.

    Why did he remain silent?

    “He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream, but he was struck down for the rebellion of my people” (Isaiah 53:7-8).

    His silence was a gift to us. He was innocent, but no one else was, so Jesus exchanged places with the guilty; Jesus exchanges places with all of us so we could find peace with God. He did this all for us.

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  • For Us

    He came from the Father full of grace and truth. He was full of mercy and love. His compassion ran deep, and his actions for us were bold. For us, his love was immeasurable, and he did what only he could do.

    • For us, he carried weaknesses and sorrows that did not belong to him. They were ours, but he carried them for us (Isaiah 53:4).
    • For us, he was beaten so we could be whole; he was whipped, so we could be healed (Isaiah 53:5).
    • For us, he was pierced and crushed (Isaiah 53:5).
    • For us, he was unjustly condemned (Isaiah 53:8).

    He is Jesus, and his love for us compelled him to help us by doing what only he could do. He took our guilt so we could have peace.

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  • Guilt Removal

    We kick ourselves when we’re down. We beat ourselves up today for yesterday’s mistakes. We know we’ve messed up, so we feel guilty. Having feelings of guilt is certainly a shared experience.

    A Psychology Today post reports, “We experience 5 hours a week of guilty feelings. One study found that if you add up all the moments you spend feeling mildly or moderately guilty, it adds up to a pretty significant chunk of time.” 

    It is not that we experience Guilt which causes a problem. It is our handling of the guilty feelings which makes a difference. Guilt is a trigger that can lead us to action, and it can be used by the Lord to help us discover true peace.

    Guilt can be the tool which drives us to the Lord. Our guilt can push us to fully accept the Lord’s grace. Those mistakes, those failures of the past can create much guilt, but we can be set free in God’s grace.

    Notice the words of Psalm 103:12, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

    Look to the east. Now, look to the west. The horizon stretches as far as we can see. Through Christ, that is how much distance there is between us and those mistakes of yesterday. The Lord offers us peace through his grace, and he invites us to rest in his peace rather than wrestle in our guilt. Challenge yourself to rest rather than wrestle today.

    Offer this post to a friend as a source of encouragement.