The following is an E-Mail Ministry message.
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THE TRUE SUFFERING CAN’T BE SEEN
On Good Friday we mark the date when Jesus took upon Himself the sinfulness of all who would come to God through Him. The beating He endured, the spikes, the crown of thorns, the humiliation, the thirst, the injustice, all of it was horrible. But the true suffering of the cross was that the pure, sinless Son of God became a sin offering for you and me nailed upon an old rugged cross.
I don’t know how He could have willingly allowed Himself to suddenly become as filthy as the most evil murderer, as vile as the most base harlot, as guilty as the greediest thief, and as far removed from the Heavenly Father as a soul could ever be? But in that moment when, on the old rugged cross He cried “Why have you forsaken me?” He paid for your sins and for mine. He paid for it all because, as a sinless substitute, He took our guilt upon himself.
We can portray the psychical suffering Jesus endured at Calvary through magnificent works of art. But who among us could ever reveal even the smallest whisper of a glimpse into the suffering of the soul of our precious Savior on that Good Friday so long ago?
— Jerry H. Miller
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HOW HEAVY IS YOUR BAG?
One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes. For every person we’d refuse to forgive in our life, we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of our bags, as you can imagine, were quite heavy.
We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to our desk at work.
The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying spiritually, and how we had to pay attention to it all the time to not forget, and keep leaving it in embarrassing places.
Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty slime. This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our pain and heavy negativity!
Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person, and while that’s true, it clearly is also a gift for ourselves!
So the next time you decide you can’t forgive someone, ask yourself…
Isn’t MY bag heavy enough?
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. – Mark 11:25
— Author Unknown
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