2025-12-19
Good morning, Dear Ones,
It was imperative for me to pray first in writing this week’s devotion. The reason is clear to me, and I hope it will be to you too. As JN 15: 5 tells us, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” The Lord loves it when we pray first asking if what we are planning to do is His will. He has well-grounded advice for us when we are at a crossroads. He is the Source of water and nutrients for the grape vine in the metaphor above.
Many of us of my generation grew up wanting to please our earthly parents but often falling short. Maybe we tried to do things for which we weren’t suited, or we were stubbornly refusing to take their advice. Often our parents were at work, and we had to take on household responsibilities as we were growing up in their absence. We were immature and resented this situation. During our teenage years, we rebelled. We were what was called “latchkey kids.” Today’s young people are exposed to drugs, tobacco, and alcohol as never before. These and other distractions from their schoolwork lead to even more serious problems in our society. Certainly, learning self-esteem is in all too short supply. Children have to learn responsibility, but in a loving and conscientious way. Those families that attend their places of worship together regularly have the advantage of spiritual nourishment that others don’t. God weighs in with these verses: PR 22: 6, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it.” IS 54: 13, “All you children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” The problems today’s divisive society could very well have been avoided by taking this advice.
Many children are raised without love, patience, and wisdom. This is especially true now when both parents must work and the essentials of life (food, clothing, shelter, and transportation) have become so expensive. If you are wondering what this has to do with forgiveness, it is the reason why people learn to be hard on themselves and on others. The Lord tells us, in COL 3: 13, “Bear with each other and forgive one anther if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Since we are all sinners, we can put this in His perspective to understand just how much He loves us. Remember it is enough for Him to have sacrificed His only begotten Son on the cross, so that we can be saved. Love and affection is certainly the approach Christ modeled for us toward others. We have been told often to pray for those who persecute us and to love our enemies [MT 5: 44-45].
We must also learn to forgive ourselves for our offenses of the past, if we are to get a fresh start. My own experience with this came late and in a very painful way. My rebellion as a teenager arose out of anger poorly managed and immaturity. I acted out in ways which began with ignoring curfews and hitching rides to middle school on the back of a garbage truck. It later blossomed into running around with the wrong crowd and doing vandalism, until the day my father caught me in the act. He wisely took some drastic steps that ended up with my changing schools and spending an overnight stay in juvenile hall. That was the end of that foolishness and a turning point in my life. I wanted to forget that misbehavior, but God wanted me to learn from it. Fast forward to early adulthood when I was in a class I had chosen to take. The assignment was for each of us to make a chart of milestones in our lives, a sort of timeline. I was forced to look back into those years before Christ entered my consciousness. It was emotionally painful for me to remember my misdeeds and poor choices. But God wanted me to 1) face my past and 2) acknowledge what He is doing to change things. It was illuminating indeed!
PRAYER: Dearest Father, learning to be forgiving is essential for moving forward with our lives. EPH 4: 26-27, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” This lesson, along with learning to forgive oneself for past sins, sets a foundation for making godly decisions and taking actions that please You. As adults in the faith, we must set examples for our children that will remain with them all their lives. TITUS 2: 7, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech.” We are often provoked to not do these things but must learn self-discipline to fend off the temptation. You tell us, in MT 5: 16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” We acknowledge the depth of Your wisdom and how blessed we are that You are an integral part of our lives. Praise and thanksgiving be to You, always, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: God loves us so much that He has saddled Himself with the huge task of civilizing mankind. This is His work in progress, as we have no right to think that we are entirely civilized at this point in time. To what can we look forward? That is the question that is the subject of next week’s devotion. How can we follow the Lord in this humungous task, one person, one group at a time? What can we do to enrich our spiritual (ethical) lives in a way which also enriches the lives of others around us? How can we improve our relationship with the Lord Himself? Searching for answers to these great questions is no waste of time! Our Lord is here to help. Praise and thanksgiving be to Him!
Grace Be with You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2025. All Rights Reserved
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