Bible Address Tonight: God Can Forgive - Can You? Today 7pm Sunday Christadelphians New Lynn 1359 Great North Road New Lynn
Forgiveness – Difficult and Challenging
We all are familiar with the responsibility we have to forgive others and how difficult and challenging this can be.
We can understand what is expected of us and perhaps grasp a little of the concept of the Father’s abundant grace towards us in Christ Jesus and to know our responsibilities of reflecting this grace
towards others.
We are familiar with the teaching of Jesus in the parables of the prodigal son - where the Father welcomed back the lost son in contrast to the attitude of the elder brother- and the unjust steward
who failed to show the same compassion to his fellow servant that had been shown to him.
The logic and rationale of this is clear.
Perhaps there is doubt in our minds and we judge that the other is not truly repentant. Is our human judgement a condition of forgiveness?
So why do we find it so difficult to accept and show grace to others?
Is there something of our nature that can overrule that logic part of our minds which knows the spiritual principles?
Perhaps this is what the Apostle Paul is thinking when he writes:
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.Romans 7:14-15 ESV
He calls it “the flesh”. We could also refer to it as our emotions or feelings. These cannot be switched on or off at will and so often control our decisions and actions.I suppose that is the difference between divine grace which in Christ presents us faultless before the
Father’s throne and human frailty that carries emotional memories which perhaps only prayer and time will heal.
We may be seeking forgiveness from others. It may well be granted and we may expect to be accepted as if the past never happened - but emotions and feelings can’t be just switched off. There may be consequences of our past behaviour which will live with us still.
And those of us who have offered forgiveness may still carry with us the hurt and disappointment of past experience which cannot be forgotten however much we wish we could.
So let’s acknowledge human weakness, offer forgiveness but understand that acceptance will so
often be marred by consequences.
And thank God for his unconditional grace that whilst we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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