The Forgiven

It occurred to me, late yesterday evening (kids bedtime, give or take a few minutes) just how potentially difficult of a time, the week leading up to Easter can be for some pastors. Yes, it's absolutely a time to reflect on the powerful sacrifice of the Christ on the cross and the miraculous redemption available through His resurrection. I heard it explained in yesterday mornings' service, that the 3 hours of darkness was Christ, taking the sin upon the world. Everything went dark, because God, Father of Light, has nothing to do with darkness, hence Christ feeling forsaken... for indeed, the 3 hours was the transaction of salvation. Christ was not a sinner... He became sin. What an incredible analogy.

Yet leading up to that... we see the frailty and failure of men, who lost the courage of their conviction when the pressure got to be too much. All the disciples scattered. Judas sold his soul. So much was his angst with self, that he took his life. Peter, who three times expressed his love for Christ, later "walked back his words", as he denied Christ three times. Even after all he accomplished for the kingdom of God through his ministry, so much was his frustration with himself, he considered himself not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. So his request to be crucified: inverted, was granted.

No matter the accomplishments, accolades, and impact of a pastor, there can and often is, a very personal, very internal battle in the spirit... for all the situations, conversations and relationships that they wish would have turned out differently. That was perhaps in their control, to respond more appropriately. To commit to greater amounts of prayer and counsel before making a decision. To follow and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit more frequently, but instead, dismissed them with justifiable reasons... perhaps even valid ones, at that.

Remembering what Christ did for us is great. Necessary. Beneficial. Empowering.

Remembering what we've done that prompted a need for Christ to do what He did... frustrating, agonizing, disappointing, emotionally-crushing, mentally-taxing, spiritually-damaging.

We certainly don't have our act so together, that we could prevent ourselves from needing Christ in the first place. Ultimately sin is sin; only humanity assigns degrees, as if it matters. It's binary.

But Judas' and Peters' failures somehow seem worse than the other disciples' failure of simply being nowhere to be found. In the end, they all left... for a season. For whatever reason. But they came back. Redemption offered. Grace empowered. And they did more for the kingdom after Christ, than they did while they were with Him.

Pray, this #seniorPastorMonday, for pastors struggling with their faults and failures; whether in ministry or personally, as we enter this Passion week. Pray they be strengthened and encouraged, that God is not done with them yet. May they sense and know, that no matter what the situations are, that they should have handled differently, that God is able to heal and restore and refresh their minds and spirits. Pray for guidance and healing for such situations... for the miraculous to occur in their lives, relationships and ministries. May the transaction of redemption be made real in their lives... that forgiveness is available for all, extended to all and Christ is hopeful, that all would accept... His love, grace, healing and redemption.  No matter what the degrees of sin may be, that we have assigned. Christ took it all upon Himself, that nothing may separate us from the love of God.

New creations in Christ. No longer known by our faults... now known as Forgiven.
For the glory of God and the cause of Jesus Christ.

- PNC

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