FORGIVENESS FACTORS - 4

          By Dr. S.E. Williams

If you have some problem with the previous blogs on forgiveness, let me share something that may help.  Remember Jesus in the Garden, before all the stuff hit the fan?  Remember that he was sweating. . . blood --- really. 

My husband puts it this way.  Jesus’ human, natural, soulical parts were in ‘NOT GOING THERE’, mode.  His thoughts and His feelings (His Soul) were rising up against all the pain and all the suffering to come.  His living soul ways were in agreement to No way!  In fact, Jesus went as far as to say,' If this cup can pass' – which was the Holy Spirit's wisdom, Jesus' living soul was saying more like ‘I DON”T THINK SO, DAD! 

Consider this.  Jesus had never been separated from His Heavenly Father EVER.  Even being born on earth did not separate God the Father from God the Son.  And to know He would be, and the pain and disgrace, and agony and wrongness of it all rose up and was battling fiercely against His acknowledged, and accepted 'Your Will Be Done' (Jesus' whole purpose for being. )

Ahhhh, but the Spirit was with Him, and stepped in and up to lead Him in the way that He must go and even provide comfort as much as possible at this time – and so Jesus, after sweating blood and crying out for the cup to pass, Jesus made the choice, and submitted to the Spirit of Life within Him and upon Him, and said, 'Not my will, Father, but Your will be done'.   You see, we do have a choice in our will, no matter what the pressure, trial, experience or trouble, WE STILL HAVE THE CHOICE to obey God’s will.

Consider this as you learn and grow in Forgiveness. 

Jesus hanging on the cross, after being wrongfully judged, beaten, beard pulled out, punched, 2” thorns shoved on his head, piercing his skull, made to carry his cross, nailed to it hands and feet, and hanging on it in pain we can’t even imagine.  And in and through all of this and all of the hours he hung on the cross, Jesus didn't cry out for God to judge anyone. 

Jesus said:  'Father forgive them for they know not what they do'. . . not because He was so down, but because He was in obedience, in trusting God, even tho’ separated from God, and moving through the Holy Spirit in righteousness and empowered to say these words. 

These words broke the yokes that were still attempting to bind him, I said BROKE the yokes, and Jesus in forgiving entered into the liberty of being obedient and was empowered and enabled to face death, descend into Hell, and to rise again!

So you get the choice to enter into who you really are in forgiveness, by forgiving.  Or you can choose to hide out in make-believe land yoked and chained to unforgiveness.  Like Neo you get to choose – wake up or stay asleep. 

Whatcha gonna choose, forgiveness and Life or unforgiveness and Death?  Remember death was all around Jesus, and his flesh and feelings and mind all recognized death.  But death was not the winner, or the ruler – just a player which lost -- because Jesus chose life in the face of death, in the experience of death, Jesus chose life, he forgave.

You can too!

Check out the last Forgiveness Factor - 5.