Jesus the King of Forgiveness

, , ,

 

“Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Matthew [26:28]

 

JESUS THE KING OF THE FORGIVENESS

One of my clients, whom we will call Bill, lost his job and expressed to me his frustration that he felt he once again had let Jesus down. He felt that Jesus had put him in a spot to get the job he lost and in losing it he had failed. His self esteem took a big hit and he wondered why he kept failing Jesus. He had done nothing wrong other than try to help his company, but became a victim of circumstance and was released. Over and over in his mind he wondered, what if I had done this? Perhaps I should have done that. His feeling that he had failed Jesus was the darkest part of his remorse. His sense of failure was complete and deep.

“Jesus is the essence of love.”

He wondered if Jesus would forgive him. He promised to himself he would do better next time. He prayed for a second chance. I reminded him of the covenant he had with Jesus. I reminded him that Jesus is the essence of love. Greater than the love of parent for a child. All these things he knew as a lifelong believer. But this was personal. Alone with his thoughts he couldn’t shake the sense of failure.

We can look no further than Apostle Peter to see this attitude of forgiveness and love that Jesus has for humankind. Peter, after being taught to walk on water with faith, failed. Peter, was usually the voice for the other twelve when they failed to understand the messages of Jesus. In a complete act of failure Peter denied Jesus three times on the fateful night before the crucifixion. Peter had a long history of failure. Jesus held firm in commitment and called Peter, “The rock upon which I will build my church.” As we know, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, Peter became the leader of the group that carried forward the messages of Jesus.

Bill had called me on a Monday after he found out the bad news and we talked for a long time. He went back and forth between despair and hope. Intellectually he knew Jesus was with him. But emotionally he couldn’t shake the sense of failure. He prayed constantly that day.

The following morning, after a difficult night of sleep, he rose to find a message on his phone. A company wanted to hire him. A job that would pay him more. A job that was better suited for who he was. A job that reminded him that Jesus was with him.

“With Jesus, when we have a repentant heart, we have a life of second chances.”

With Jesus, when we have a repentant heart, we have a life of second chances. A life that unfurls Jesus’ majesty. A life, when approached with Jesus at our center, reveals Jesus’s love and forgiveness. A life of completeness.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

 

PARTING THOUGHTS

How often during times of stress do we remember the covenant made by Jesus?

What prevents us from accepting the covenant?

How important is prayer and repentance to accepting the covenant?