I in the best of humor cracked up when you wrote in the joint, I wonder if many understand that kind of terminology LOL. Only those who have experienced much forgiveness LOL.

It’s worth noting that the politician in the Bible “Pilate” was more interested in pleasing the croud by setting free a convicted murderer rather than risk his career with the increasingly unpopular Jesus, who even he had to admit Jesus had not commited a crime against the State. Fast forward two thousand years and the President has to consider the awful mess of giving his past coworkers a play for taking some of the weight off him when things that he surly knew about went bad. The hard part as I understand it is how to grant a pardon for them without implicating that they commited a crime, lol. I have a tendancy to look at things radically I guess. I know there are brothers and sisters in the joint who are seeking pardon with some actual remorse and repentance in there heart and ones that are no doubt like Barabbas who are hoping to take advantage of the end of the President’s time in office.
Fortunately most pardons would reduce the sentence from being executed to life. There is a church here in Indy that proclaims on the sign “Sinners Welcome” what a novel concept.
God bless you all & goodnight

As far as pointing out others peoples faults it is very shaky ground. I believe that the bible says that those who are spiritual gently guide other believers back to that saving grace. I believe that when we are able to closely look at our own sins and who we are compared to Christ we become less critical of others and not so quick to condemn (spiritual). I at times hold others to high expectations when it comes to their walk with God but through the Holy Spirit I have been convicted of the sins that offend the Lord and one specifically is judgment of believers. I can not and will not be someone else’s Holy Spirit, if it were up to me, like I said before I usually mess everything up. One of the proverbs says a gentle answer will turn away wrath, I am going to try and practice this this week.

Jesus loves the sinner and hates their sins. The brief 3 and half years He spent on Earth, Jesus went about loving, healing, feeding and showing compassion while standing firm for Truth. He perfectly loved the sinner and at the same time testified His hatred against their evil works.

Today we, His followers are also called to love the sinner and hate sin. Now, refusing to sin or condemning sin should not be misunderstood as hating the sinner. But guess what? We will be hated…even by our own “brothers and sisters” because Jesus was hated and even His own brothers did not believe in Him. In fact, every one of them deserted Him as He painfully made His lonely trek to the cross. They hated Him for His truth and that’s why they killed Him.

What then does it mean to love others? Love the truth and have mercy on the lost. Tell them to stay away from the fire…it is bad…it will burn and it will kill. True love will never sit in the sidelines watching others remaining stuck in their sin. True love will mercifully snatch the soul from the fire and save them while hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Although we disapprove the sinful lifestyle and will be considered as enemies because we speak the truth, true Christ-like love will faithfully witness the loving forgiveness available in Jesus Christ. So, tell me if I am wrong and I will change the definition of love (in caps). And BTW, if you could quote Mahatma Gandhi, why are you critical of those who quote their Heavenly Father?

One of Chambers’ statements is this: Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid.

That is certainly worth celebrating!

You know no matter if someone is pardoned by the president those people still have to live with themselves and I believe the feelings of guilt will offer no pardon. I say this because although I have the Lord’s forgiveness it seems the hardest person for me to forgive is me.

No wonder Jesus was upset with the religious men of his day. They had all the education to know all the words found in the “BOOK”. But they lacked compassion and love for others. They were white washed tombs,instead of living temples of God.

There are a lot of you people out here in this blog who have love for others, I love reading the compassion you share for others pain. I not only can read your comments but also sense your personality as it comes out through your confessions and comments.

Honest, revealing and cleansing.

Thank you to all for brightening my day.

These words begin to describe the attitude I should have toward my fellow man.

Jesus was a 30 year old man we are told when he began his public ministry. John says the world could not contain all the things he did and said in the 3 short years that followed. Yet we have a testimony from various witnesses that create the foundation of our faith.

Isaiah 58, tells us of the acceptable fast.

I could go on quoting verse after verse, but they all point toward our attitude toward each other.

God loves us enough to do whatever it takes to “win” us back to him. Including becoming a man, feeling all the pain and suffering of this world and then becoming sin for an undeserving world and be sacrificedfor it. For us all.

We are told to follow Christ. If we truly do, we adopt his attitude of sacrifice and service to an underservig world.

This isn’t just about being able to quote scripture, but is all about us, we, you and I loving people who don’t deserve it. Forgiveness, Pardoning, healing the relationship. Whatever it takes to win back a brother, friend or whomever.

And perhaps in the doing of it all, we may just show another the way to eternal forgiveness.

But the illustration is a valid one so that my forgiveness by the Father is so much more than any given by any president who ever pardoned anyone.

Mart, in whatever mind we happen to be in, the celebration of our pardon won’t end, in this world or the next.