Attitude Update #2:  Brokenness IS the Pathway to Joy & Forgiveness

“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NLT)

“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” Matthew 5:4 (The Message)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  Matthew 5:4 ESV

Blessed are those who mourn….

Our 100 pound yellow Labrador Retriever, Boudreaux, never felt guilty for anything he did!  Stephanie had made banana nut muffins & put them on the counter – they wound up gone!! All gone, even the crumbs.  I got on to him for getting the food off the counter. Then she made them again, and we came in and found all the muffins nearest the edge of the counter – had big bites taken out of them. They had not moved an inch!  He followed the letter of the law, but never felt guilty! He was sad he got caught, but never regretted.  He got over it really quick! Unlike us, when we do something wrong we actually have a guilty feeling, no matter who you are or where you live.

As dads our lives can be full of regrets. Why did I speak to my wife and kids that way? Why did I say I was going to take them camping and didn’t? Why did I miss my son’s game when I could have made it?  Why didn’t I be more involved with my children as they were growing up? Those same wrong attitudes carry over to other areas of life which compound our regrets.

You can handle your wrongs in one of two ways.  The wrong way & the right way. The wrong way is stuffing it, trying to forget it, justifying yourself, lying to yourself that what you did really wasn’t so bad, and eventually hardening yourself against it by doing it some more.

The right way leads to being comforted by God

God’s comfort fact #1:  God loves YOU NO MATTER WHAT you have done! This is why He sent Jesus.

“For God so loved the world [your messed up life & my messed up life], that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17 ESV 

God’s comfort fact #2:  God is in the Forgiving Business.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

Confession is not only admitting to God the wrong things you have done, but it is admitting you are broken and cannot fix yourself.  This is the only beginning point to real healing and real happiness, comfort, and wholeness. The real problem is that you are broken inside, not physically, not emotionally, but spiritually. God in Christ Jesus is the only One who can fix those broken areas, clear your conscience, and remove the guilt and shame from your life.

God’s comfort #3.  God is in the exchanging business.

“He [God the Father] is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son [Jesus] and forgave our sins.” Ephesians 1:7 (NLT)

Notice what this verse says about forgiveness. Forgiveness does not come through you working hard to become a good person. Forgiveness does not come through you doing good things for other people and the planet. Forgiveness does not come through religion, sacraments, a pastor, a priest, or any other “religious” activity.

Forgiveness was purchased by God the Father through the willing sacrifice of Jesus, God the Son, on the cross for our sins. Jesus was our sacrifice, our substitute, and the perfect payment for our wrongs. Faith secures your forgiveness. Faith in what Jesus’ death accomplished on the cross and His resurrection as proof secures your forgiveness,  when we let go of yourself as the boss (lord) of your life and allow Jesus to be the Lord of your life.

Here is the comforting news:

• Jesus took your guilt so you can have forgiveness.
• Christ took your shame, so you can have full pardon.
• Christ took your separation from God, so you can have peace, closeness.
• Christ took your estrangement from God. So Exchange your estrangement with God’s adoption into His family.
• Christ took your punishment, so you can have acceptance.
• Christ took the death we all deserve so exchange the empty deadness of your soul for His amazing Life! Christ took your sadness, so exchange your sadness for His Joy!

Make the Daditude Point with your family:  Do you want the comfort of your Heavenly Father’s joy, forgiveness, acceptance, hope, and love.  Then go to Him with your sorrow, tell Him about it, ask Him to forgive you, and ask Him to give you to joyful life He wants you to Have. He has already demonstrated He is not angry with us by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us (See Romans 5:8-10). He has already demonstrated to us that He loves us unconditionally. (See John 3:16-17) Now do this for your children too, whether they ask for forgiveness or not. Ask them to forgive you when you fail to keep your word, say or do things that hurt them. Model the right attitude our Heavenly Father wants us to demonstrate to the children He has gifted us with. Pray that they will do the same.

A Prayer to Receive the Comfort of Forgiveness and Joy

Father God

My heart breaks and I grieve/ I am very sorrowful over the things I’ve done.  I am sad that I want my own way and self-will fills my heart at times. I grieve over the fact that I am so easily distracted away from You by such petty and little things. My heart breaks because I know this is not how it is supposed to be and I don’t want to live like this. I need You, Jesus, to change me, to help me to get rid of my selfishness and rebellion.

I turn from my selfish ways and turn to you. I want to follow Jesus and His ways. Please forgive me of all my sins. I thank you that you forgive everyone who calls out to You. I thank You that Jesus sacrificed Himself for my forgiveness and secured it on His cross. Thank you that you have forgiven me!

I don’t want to keep doing these things. Lord Jesus, unless I have your power, Your Spirit in my life filling my, helping me, giving me joy, then I have nothing and I will either self-destruct or be destroyed by the evil-one.

Fill me with your Spirit that I may be strong.

Give me power to overcome the temptations that call out to me.

Please help me clearly see the way out of the temptations.

Help me to run from those that are so dangerous that it will destroy my life. Thank You that You secured my victory on the cross. Thank You that Your resurrection proves You are God and secured my forgiveness and salvation.

Father, I want to be a good example to my children. I want them to know You and follow You. Please protect them from wrong decisions. Help me to set the right kind of example of realizing when I have done something wrong, confessing it to you, and receiving your forgiveness.

Thank you that there is no condemnation, no guilt, no shame for followers of Jesus. You have fully removed them. Help me to walk in an attitude and understanding that I am a forgiven child of Yours. Jesus took my shame, guilt, and punishment on the cross. Help me to help my children know your great love!  Help me not to shame, guilt, or condemn my children but to help them to know forgiveness, acceptance, and love like You have shown me!

In Jesus’ name.

Amen

Bill Stevens

(c) 2019 Bill Stevens, Loveland, CO. No copy or reproduction of this without express written permission from the author.