{Lessons Learned} Be Gracious or Forgiveness Flows Out of a Changed Heart – Part 2

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Early on in my walk with God, I was told that the Bible says that we’re sinners. Logically then, I thought, this would infer that I sin. It was a novel concept to me. Really, it was.

Up to this point, I never really thought about sin, and I certainly never thought I was a sinner or that I needed anything, let alone the help of a supposed God that could very well be the figment of someone’s imagination.

Truly, I was blind to the ways of God.

One day, after attending church for several weeks, however, I prayed. God, I said feeling a bit foolish, if I have any sins, show me. And boy did He deliver! I went from self-loving and self-idolizing (even though I was in a very bad place at the time) to self-loathing in no time at all.

Once stripped of all deception, I began to see who I truly was. And let me tell you, it was ugly.

But as I mentioned in Part 1, God doesn’t show us our sinful nature to beat us down, but instead, showing us our sins is intended to drive us into the arms of Jesus. Our sins show us our failures. They show us that we cannot do any good on our own. Truly, they show us our need.

No. We are not to loath ourselves as a result of our sin. But our sin should drive us back to where we were intended to be all along––in close communion with Father.

God choses undeserving sinners, washes them, and gives them new life. This is the grace of God.

Grace is a beautiful thing. [Tweet that]

But once we receive grace, we need to extend it to those around us.

When we understand that we are who we are by the grace of God alone, it should help us to see others through that same lens. We’re all prone to sin. We’re all prone to folly. And once we recognize this truth, it should compel us to live graceously with others and to forgive them.

You see, if we are around one another long enough we will hurt each other. We will sin against one another. We will fail one another. And while none of this is okay or justifiable, we need to have more grace with each other and forgive as we have been forgiven. [Tweet that]

As I have written extensively about before, there came a point as I was being led toward forgiving Anthony, the man who murdered my dad, that God clearly told me Laurie, you are no better than Anthony. And while it was difficult to hear, it is true. I am no better than any other. And I thought, who am I to withhold grace and forgiveness from another when Jesus so freely gave them to me? [Tweet that]

Truth is, we are all in need of grace. Let us all bring a bit more grace into our relationships today.

{Be gracious and forgive.}

Question: Who do you have a difficult time being gracious to? Why? Share in the comments.

To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

{Lessons Learned} Forgiveness Flows Out of a Changed Heart – Part 1

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Forgiveness––true Biblical forgiveness––requires that we have encountered and experienced the risen God. [Tweet that] It requires a changed heart.

Truly, prior to forgiving one another, we need to understand and receive the forgiveness of God. For, we cannot give something we have yet to receive, and we cannot receive apart from understanding. [Tweet that]

As I’m sure you know, the term Gospel––which refers to the work of Christ––literally means “good news.” I’ve heard many pastors say that in order for there to be good news something bad would have to be true. And until we understand the bad news, we cannot fully grasp how good the good news is. [Tweet that]

This is why we all must come to understand who we are apart from Jesus. We need to understand just how sinful we are so that the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf––and consequently, the forgiveness He made possible––can be understood not only in our minds but in our hearts as well.

It is only when head knowledge moves to our hearts that we can fully live out of God’s truth. But until we experience this heart change, our efforts to live out the Christian life will remain frustrated. We will be unable to effectively carry out the commands of the Bible.

It is possible for us to know God’s truth––to know that Jesus died to reconcile us to God the Father. To know that Jesus forgives us through His sacrifice on the cross. To know that we are loved. To know that we are saved, and that we are forgiven. But we will never live the life God has for us until this knowledge moves to our heart and transforms us.

Remember, we must understand the bad news in order to fully grasp just how good the good news is.

And the bad news is very bad indeed. Scripture tells us that apart from Jesus, we were dead in our sin. Scripture paints a very real picture of our state outside of Christ. God uses words like dead (Ephesians 2:1), sinner (James 4:8), wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, naked (Revelation 3:17), enemies of God (Romans 5:10), having no hope and without God (Ephesians 2:12) to describe our pre-salvation state.

Believe this about yourself.

But don’t stay there. The moment you gave your life to Jesus you were made new. All that was true of who we were apart from Jesus was made void. God now uses words like new (2 Corinthians 5:17), chosen (1 Peter 2:4), saved (Ephesians 2:4), son or daughter (Romans 8:15), saints (Ephesians 2:19), beloved (Romans 9:25), and righteous (Romans 5:19) to describe those who love Him.

Still, allow your understanding of the depths of your wretchedness apart from Jesus to compel you to run into the arms of Jesus, filled with thanksgiving, love, and adoration, knowing what He has saved you from.

Never forget where Jesus found you. [Tweet that] As Martin Luther said, “Remember your baptism.”

And then from there. Pray for His grace and your relationship with Him to transform your heart and your mind. Then and only then will you be able to live out of your new nature, your new self, and extend grace and mercy to those around you.

Your ability to forgive others comes from your changed heart.

{Allow Jesus to show you the bad news in order that you might be able to experience all the joy and blessings the Gospel has to offer!}

Question: What are your thoughts? Share in the comments.

To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

Romans 8:28 Rings True

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Last Thursday began like most days. Toward the end of my quiet time with Jesus, my girls came into my bedroom in all their morning cuteness, blurry-eyed and hair a fright. We cuddled together for a moment before beginning our morning routine of showering, dressing, and the like.

My girls usually finish getting ready before I do, so they ran downstairs, busying themselves with coloring and drawing in the kitchen. Moments later, however, I heard Avery, my younger daughter, yell, “Mom, Ella poked me with a pencil!”

To which Ella replied, “But it wasn’t very hard!”

Really?!? I thought. It was all going so well.

Turns out, Ella intentionally “poked” or stabbed (to be more exact) Avery with a pencil. Not okay in my book. But after disciplining Ella, we had a serious talk about hurting others.

Ella is seven. Up to this point, we have taught her about Jesus, we’ve talked about Jesus being her Savior, but I never asked them to pray the prayer for salvation.

I didn’t want this prayer to be something forced or something they just did because they’re told it’s what they’re supposed to do. I wanted it to be authentic. From their heart. I wanted them to desire Jesus and realize they can’t do this thing called life without Him!

This would not happen through any effort of my own. This would not happen by me leading them to say a prayer asking Jesus into their heart before they had the desire. What children need––what we all need––is the grace of God.

Salvation comes by grace through faith!

It is a gift from God. And it cannot be manipulated into being.

Ella and I talked about hurting others. We talked about the condition of her heart. We talked about our need for Jesus. And I can honestly say that for the first time, she was broken over her sin, and she realized she needed Jesus.

“Have you ever prayed for Jesus to save you?” I asked.

“No,” she said, tears streaming down her face.

“Do you want Jesus in your heart? Do you want Him to save you?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation.

We talked extensively about what that meant and about who she knew Jesus to be.

“But I want you to say the prayer,” she told me.

“No honey. Mommy can’t do that,” I said. “I pray for you all the time, but this is a prayer you need to pray.” I told her that her relationship with Jesus is something that is her own. It’s something she needs to cultivate. No one else could do it for her.

“But I don’t know what to say.”

Facing one another, we held hands and began to pray, both of us crying like babies. With genuine sincerity, my little Ella prayed a “repeat after me” prayer for Jesus to be her Lord and Savior.

What began with her committing a sin against her sister ended with her brokenness and her salvation, and I praise Jesus for His grace.

“You’re way ahead of me,” I told Ella with a smile. “I wasn’t saved until I was 29!”

“Whoa,” she said, bright-eyed.

Thank God for grace.

Since then, I’ve been thinking. My dad was saved only months before his death by Jesus through the very events that led to his murder (more on this later). I was saved as a direct result of the effects of my dad’s death. And now, my daughter has been saved as a result of my salvation.

Romans 8:28 rings true.

{Jesus is our Redeemer.}

Question: How have you seen Romans 8:28 played out in your life? Share in the comments.

To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

Love Comes First

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

I received a letter from Anthony (the man who murdered my dad) a couple weeks ago. In it, he said, “I also know you feel as I do, if only one person read [our testimony] and came to Jesus because of it, because of our pain, tears, repentance, and forgiveness, all of it was worth it.”

Anthony is right. And He got me thinking.

If our story saves one––only one––I do believe my efforts to share what God has done is all worth it. Yet, I also believe Jesus called me to share this story with many. In fact, I believe I’m called to write a book about it.

What It Takes to Publish Today

When writing a book, you hear a lot about the need to build a “platform” or establish a “tribe” of followers who engage with you both on your blog and on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest…) who will then become your audience for your proposed book. Even though all this “platform building” feel like self-promotion––which makes me ridiculously uncomfortable––I’ve been doing it, nonetheless, attempting to promote Jesus instead of myself.

Building a platform is a necessary step toward publishing.

But it can so quickly become about the numbers. How many people are reached with each post? How many visitors to my blog each day, week, month? How many Twitter followers? How many Facebook likes? And the list goes on.

But what gets lost amid the numbers is love. Each of those numbers represents a soul. A soul Jesus loves and wants to help. We are all called to love one another. We’re all called to minister to one another. It may look different for some people than for others, but the call is all the same. Love.

My Followers?

And here’s the thing: My “followers” are not my followers, they’re Jesus’ followers. [Tweet that] A sweet friend pointed that out to me the other night, and I appreciated the perspective.

This issue is not a new one, either. It was found long before the emergence of social media and platform building. The Corinthian church faced the same problem. In 1 Corinthians 1:12-14 and 1:17 Paul says,

What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? …For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

It is Jesus who needs to be center. We don’t need Laurie followers, we need Jesus followers!

All You Need is Love (Love Before Mission)

My calling––and your calling too––needs to come from a place of love, for without love there is no real impact. [Tweet that] Sure, some may be intrigued by our stories, but the impact will be little without love.

And I confess that I have lost the love I had at first. But I’m praying for grace. I need a complete paradigm shift to take place through the mercy and grace of God.

It’s not about numbers. It’s not about me. It’s not even about my story.

It’s about Jesus.

It’s about loving God and loving people. Sound familiar? It’s the Great Commandment Jesus spoke of in both Matthew and Mark.

The Great Commandment comes before anything else. Yet, it is followed by the Great Commission.

The Great Commission is our mission in this world. Jesus tells us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

We do have a mission––to share the message of the Gospel with the world. But the mission doesn’t come before the commandment to love. [Tweet that]

The cart doesn’t come before the horse!

Love is first. Always. [Tweet that]

Yet, we have a job to do. And for some of us that job may require the use of social media, but it is all to be motivated by love. Just as the title of Bob Goff’s book says, “Love Does.” (This is a great book, by the way, one of my favorites!)

I’ve somehow gotten things a little backwards lately. And for that I am sorry, I repent, and I pray that all I do is derived out of my love for Jesus and for His people. If you could join me in this prayer, I’d greatly appreciate it. The prayer of many is powerful, and I want to get this one right.

Back to what Anthony said. If I can impact only one through my love, it will all be worth it.

{Love comes first.}

Question: Have you experienced this? Any words of wisdom you would like to share? Share in the comments.

To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

{Lessons Learned} Do You Need Jesus to Forgive?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

I had a feeling something was still there. Some residual scarring caused by my dad’s murder. In a way, I wanted to go there. Get it all out. Heal completely. But at the same time, I feared what would be found.

I sure hope I’m not really screwed up, I thought.

But I knew some soul work needed to be done. Digging would have to take place. And the root of whatever was left behind would have to be excavated and restored.

I tried to do this on my own for nine years after Dad died. I tried to “pick myself up by my bootstraps” and move on, reasoning that Dad would have wanted it this way. He wouldn’t want me to succumb to the wave of despair that threatened to swallow me whole.

So, I moved on. Each time the thought of Anthony came into my mind, I chose with precise deliberation to cast these thoughts aside.

I forgive him, I’d tell myself, knowing full well that I didn’t. I thought if I did this long enough, it would become my reality. It was the only way I knew how to move toward forgiveness, and I hoped this would allow me to shed the effects of my past.

Even the secular world tells us to forgive. “You must forgive and forget,” we’re told.

And, so we do. Or we think we do.

We will ourselves into believing that we’ve arrived at the desired destination. That we’ve forgiven.

I forgive Anthony, I told myself. I do.

Then, I became a Christian after completely falling apart. And I mean completely falling apart. I’ve written about this time before, but for our purpose here, I must tell you that I don’t think I would have gotten to this point of complete desperation and complete lack of hope had it not been for my unforgiving heart (The one I thought was forgiving, mind you).

So, there I was, a baby Christian, one year after surrendering my life to Christ when the call to forgive came. Quite frankly, I was surprised.

But I’ve already forgiven Anthony, came my rebuttal to God.

Soon, I learned that forgiveness––real forgiveness, that is––can only be accomplished through Jesus, the one who died to make forgiveness possible.

It’s the same with all things.

We cannot love, in the full sense of the term, without first receiving God’s love.

We cannot extend true mercy or grace without first receiving God’s mercy and grace.

So to, we cannot forgive, completely and unconditionally, without first receiving God’s forgiveness. [Tweet that]

It is Jesus who made forgiveness possible, and it is He who guides us onto our own path toward forgiveness. [Tweet that]

I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t think I can emphasize it enough. Forgiveness is a process. It is not something that occurs instantly. And it requires a decision to pray for Jesus to guide you toward that end.

So, I encourage each of you to take another look at your life. Take another look at you relationships. And prayerfully assess whether or not you hold unforgiveness in your heart. And if you do, I implore you to seek God and forgive.

Forgiveness will set you free. [Tweet that]

Remember, forgiveness begins with prayer. [Tweet that] Pray for God to lead you toward freedom today.

{Forgiveness is only possible through Jesus.}

Question: Has God been showing you unforgiveness in your heart? Who do you need to forgive? How have you tried to forgive apart from God? Share in the comments.

To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

I Don’t Need Help! or Learning to Receive

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. – Proverbs 27:17

A couple months ago, I found myself sitting at a small table in Starbucks. Across from me sat my leadership coach.

“I don’t think I can do this any more,” I told her. “I’m burnt out. I’m doing too much, and honestly, I don’t think I’m doing anybody any good at this point.”

I came to this meeting to quit. I had been leading a small group of women from my church in a weekly meeting for over two years. But at this point, I was exhausted. I didn’t feel I could do it any longer.

After I explained the situation, she said, “Honestly, I don’t think you know how to receive very well.”

Yes, I do. I thought, perplexed.

“You’ve done a great job of making yourself a commodity,” she continued, “but you don’t allow others to pour into you.”

Ouch.

I left, still leading this group of women, still wanting to quit, and pondering what I had been just told. After much thought and prayer, however, I realized that my coach was right.

I don’t receive well.

I’m the Helper; I Don’t Need Help!

Since our meeting, God has been calling me to receive. It’s like He’s holding out both hands toward me, offering the fullness of Christ, saying, Receive, Laurie. Allow me to pour into you. Allow others to pour into you, and receive all the riches of my blessing upon your life.

But it’s hard. It’s not how I’m wired. Recently, I found myself saying I’m not the one who needs help, I’m the one who helps others.

You see, from the time I was a child, I was the “helper.” I helped my mom with my special needs sister. And I helped my family get through my parents’ divorce. I’m the helper. People rely upon me.

And I guess somewhere along the way, a lie infiltrated my consciousness, telling me that I don’t need others to help me, that I can do it all on my own, that needing others is a sign of weakness.

But none of that is true. We all need help. We were not created to live completely unto ourselves. We need God. And we need each other. Our interdependency is part of God’s perfect design, not a flaw.

The Word Receive in the Bible

I just completed an inventory of the word “receive” in the Bible.

And scripture is clear. We were created to receive. To live in complete dependence upon God and to receive all things from Him. Just as a baby helplessly relies upon his parents for all things, so too, are we to live in complete reliance upon our Father.

All things come from God, so one way or another, we must receive. Scripture says we receive life, approval, instruction, wisdom, righteousness, blessings, grace, mercy, forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and power through Jesus.

Jesus died that we may experience the fullness of life. But, we must receive Christ, through faith, in order to receive that life.

It is true: we were created to be in communion with God. Yet, we were also created to be in communion with one another. To help one another and build one another up as the body of Christ.

We Need Each Other

Embracing our need for one another is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. John 13:35 says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We are called to:

Love one another.

Serve one another.

Forgive one another.

Show hospitality to one another.

Have fellowship with one another.

Bear one another’s burdens.

Just think about what the church would look like if we brought these commands into our relationships. It’s about serving others and allowing others to serve you. You see, “Two are better than one…For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

I am now coming to understand that it is when we don’t allow others to pour into us that we become weak.

We need each other.

Each of us have been given gifts for the purpose of building one another up. Let us use them and receive support from one another. Paul said it well when he wrote, ”Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

{Allow others to bless you that you may continue to be a blessing others.}

Question: Can you relate? How might we all become better receivers? Share in the comments.

To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

{Repentance} Wanna Be Empowered Today?

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

I’ve been talking a lot about repentance, and I know it can become a weighty topic, to say the least. But I feel like God has empowered me in this area recently, and I just have to pass this along.

I’ve been feeling convicted lately about several sins in my life. And maybe it’s just me, but do you ever feel like you need to repent but you need to wait for the empowerment of God to do so? [Tweet that]

Well, this is where I found myself last week.

During my quiet time with God, I decided to begin reading Romans. I opened it up, read the first paragraph, and that was just about enough for the day. I needed to digest what I read, so I read it again. And again.

Toward the end of that paragraph, Paul says, “through [Jesus] we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name…” (Romans 1:5).

We received grace to bring about the obedience of faith. We received grace. Past tense. It’s a done deal.

I love what the ESV Study Bible footnote says. It says, “Obedience is required, but it is an obedience that flows from saving faith and is always connected to ongoing faith” (emphasis mine).

We Are Empowered

Here’s the thing: The moment we are saved. The moment we bow our knee to Jesus, accepting Him to be Lord of our lives and Savior of our souls, we were given the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:8).

The Spirit is power. He is all the power we need to live out this Christian life. [Tweet that]

Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”

Romans 8:11 tells us that “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

We have been given life. We have been set free from sin and death through Jesus. And we are now free to live a life of power through the Holy Spirit.

So, why do we, at times, feel so impotent to live out godly lives? What takes the wind out of our sails? [Tweet that]

Deception.

Truth tells us we have the power of the Holy Spirit to live out our faith.

Satan tells us we have no power within us or we need to wait for empowerment.

There are times we need to wait on the Lord for sure, but we never need to wait to repent. We never need to wait to feel empowered to do that which we are called to do. But instead, remember that we are empowered to follow Jesus.

So, here’s the bottom line: You don’t need to wait for the ability to live out your Christian life, you already have the power within. Now live like you believe it.

{The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. Believe and live in light of this truth.}

Question: Do you ever feel like you need to wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit? Share in the comments.

To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

How Jesus is the Fulfillment of God’s Love

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

No doubt about it. We are loved.

Truly loved, despite all our shortcomings.

The Feinberg Challenge

Over the last 40 days of Lent, leading up to Easter, I joined Margaret Feinberg (along with thousands of other Christ followers), in her 40-Day Bible Reading Challenge. Together we read through the Bible. Yep. The whole thing.

Honestly, it was crazy, but it was amazing at the same time! Beginning in Genesis and ending with Revelation, we read an average of 30 chapters a day (though I’m a day behind, so I’ll be finishing up today).

When first presented with all this craziness, I was intrigued, but I didn’t think I could do it. After all, I have children who need their mommy and a husband who needs his wife, but God made it happen. Day in and day out, I was given the time needed to soak in the truth of God’s word.

And when God’s truth continually washes over you, something begins to sirs within your soul. [Tweet that] God works. He teaches. He shows you things you’ve been missing all along or have forgotten amidst the busyness of life.

Throughout this time, there were days I was moved to tears as I read (well, ok, I actually cried most days). The more I read, the more the love and faithfulness of our mighty God was impressed upon my heart.

I just love how Sally Lloyd-Jones describes the love of God in The Jesus Storybook Bible for kids. She says God loves us “with a Never Stopping, Never Giving up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.” Isn’t that an amazing description?

And it was this love that become so real to me during my reading.

God’s Story

The whole of the Bible tells the story of God. It tells of a people––made to love and be loved by God––who rebelled against their loving Father, bringing sin into the world. From this moment on, God sought to bring His people back to Himself once again, saying I will be your God and you shall be my people.

Truly, the Bible shows love affair between God and His people in which He faithfully pursues the hearts of man. [Tweet that]

Still, God’s people rebelled. They rebelled over and over and over again. Yet, God never forsook them though He had every right to do so. But instead, God chose to love them, despite rebellion and sin.

The Climax

God’s plan ultimately culminated with Jesus.

Jesus was God’s love displayed in flesh. He was the way. The way back to God. As said before, God could have left us in our sinful state of hopelessness. But instead, He provided a way back to Himself. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

For 33 years, Love walked the Earth.

Love healed wounds.

Love set free the captives.

Love showed us the way as He called and said, “Follow Me.”

And Love was nailed to a cross on Calvary.

But ultimately, Love rose again, bringing us new life.

This is what Easter is all about. The love of God, who is faithful to provide new beginnings. [Tweet that] It’s like we get a mulligan. A do-over. What was behind has passed. And all that is required of us is to receive the free gift of salvation. To receive Christ. [Tweet that]

Jesus holds out His hand, offering us mercy, grace, salvation, love, hope, peace, and so much more.

Reach out and take hold of the promises of God. Receive His Love.

Happy Easter!

{Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s love. Receive Him.}

Question: How have you been blessed by the Word of God? How has the story of God impacted your life? Share in the comments.

To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

{Lessons Learned} Why We Need to Stop Comparing Ourselves to Each Other

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Jesus said to him, “…what is that to you? You follow me!” – John 21:22

We cannot accurately judge our sins or behaviors by comparing ourselves to others. [Tweet that] And when we do so, our assessment of ourselves, our sins, and the consequence of those sins will, most assuredly, be skewed.

I addressed this issue with Anthony as we were working toward forgiveness. I wrote,

…one more thought that I have has to do with comparing ourselves to others. I think this is dangerous, yet I believe we all do it to a certain extent….

…we, as Christians, are not to judge ourselves based upon those around us. Many of us look around and consciously or unconsciously compare ourselves to others in the world. We look around and see that there are people out there who have done x or committed y, then we look to ourselves and say, “well, I haven’t done that, so I’m a pretty good person.”

Yet, the Bible teaches us that none are good. That we have all turned away from God, and were, at one time, enemies of God–our creator. We are reminded to be in the world, but not of the world. That we are different, and that we not think more highly of ourselves or our actions than we ought.

When comparing your sentence in relationship to your crime to that of those around you, what you’re essentially saying is that God isn’t in control of your situation; that He didn’t oversee your sentence. That because you had a “reason” [for murdering my dad] it’s somehow better than not having a reason. That you deserve less time because my dad got you really mad?!? As if that’s justification.

While Anthony disagreed with my assessment regarding God ordaining his sentence, he did write back and say, “You were right though in saying we Christians are held to a higher standard and I am wrong to compare my sentence to others.”

The standard we are to meet is God’s standard, not one that is arbitrarily orchestrated in our favor. [Tweet that] And God’s standard requires perfection, which is obviously unattainable and is the reason we need Jesus to save us.

Comparison

Comparison is folly. Pure and simple. [Tweet that]

Comparison says I sin, but at least I don’t sin like you. (Or I am the worst sinner there is, far greater than you.)

Comparison says I deserve more than you. (Or I am a worm who deserves nothing compared to you.)

Comparison says I am better than you. (Or you are better than me.)

Yet, the fact of the matter is that no one is better than any another. As said before, we all equally stand in need of grace and mercy. [Tweet that]

{We cannot accurately judge our sins or behaviors by comparing ourselves to others.}

Question: Do you find yourself comparing yourself to others? Share in the comments.

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To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.

{Lessons Learned} All Sin is Forgivable (Except Blasphemy Against the Spirit)

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” —Mark 3:28-29

For years, I didn’t want to think that the man who took my dad away could experience any joy in this life, let alone be forgiven by God and go to heaven. Yet, I was blinded to the ways of God at this time and didn’t have a proper understanding of sin.

All sins will be forgiven for those who place their trust in Jesus. Not just the sins that seem small in our eyes. All. Yet there is one offense, Jesus tells us, that is the exception––blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan––see Mark 3:22-27), which He calls an eternal sin. All other sins, however, are forgivable through His death.

Sin and Forgiveness

Sin is no light matter, indeed. But when we claim that certain sins are unforgivable by God (apart from the one He deemed unforgivable) we hold a small view of the power of God’s forgiveness, and quite honestly, we fail to see the gravity of our own sins.

Once we see the depths of our sin, how filthy and horrible it is, and how it breaks the heart of God, our Father, we come to understand that all sin is detestable. Little sins and greats sins alike.

Sin is sin (I’ll get into that more later). No sin is better than any other, for they are all a product of our rebellion against a good and holy God. An attempt to live life apart from our Creator, which is folly.

But the most beautiful part of salvation is that despite our rebellion and our sin, we have a merciful God who is willing to forgive if we only come to Him. [Tweet that] This is the beauty we see in the cross. Jesus willingly laid His life down to provide a way back to God, a way to be forgiven.

This is love.

We need to come to the point that we can see the depths of our own sin and guilt before the God. Then, and only then, can we begin to understand God’s forgiveness, amidst all its scandalousness and beauty.

{Jesus died for every sin––including murder. [Tweet that]}

What are your thoughts?

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To read more about my journey toward forgiveness, read Freedom Through Grace or {Redemption} Your Testimony May Have Saved a Life.