By
Moses Hightower
Thelma and Moses Hightower
Celebrate Forgiveness, Which Is Given by Love
(Part 1)
If it were not for me, you would not be standing. Because of my mercy and forgiveness, you are in right-standing with me. When you cried out to me for mercy and forgiveness, I forgave you. Grace used its revenue to make sure that you were washed and cleansed. Though men will not forgive you when you fall short, I am quick to forgive. I know that you are flesh. All have sinned and come short of my glory. Men know this, yet they are ready to leap on others when they fall short. They forsake those with weaknesses when they should rally to strengthen the weaknesses of others. Men will point out your weaknesses and discount your strengths. They will devalue your worth to the kingdom and me, but I will not forget your labor of love for my name. You have sinned. I knew that you would sin before I created you; therefore, I supplied a sacrifice and holy blood as atonement and a way of access to me. Do not be condemned because you have sinned and fell short; neither allow your weaknesses to become liabilities to you. Go and strengthen those who are at war with the same spirit of condemnation that seeks to cut off my people from justification. I justified you by faith. Faith knows that you are not righteous; therefore, it waits to hear the sound of your belief in my righteousness. Voice the victorious blast of a justified believer, and experience the freedom that was purchased by your Lord. Not one of you is righteous of yourself. All of your righteousness is as a filthy rag. Not one of you is good.
Why did Paul voice the expression, “O’ wretched man that I am”?
Why did I use a wretched man in such a mighty manner?
CONDEMNATION, LIABILITIES, UNFORGIVENESS, AND WEAKNESS
(Part 1)
If it were not for the Lord, I would not be standing. Because of his mercy and forgiveness, I am in right-standing with him. When I cried out to him for mercy and forgiveness, he forgave me. Grace used its revenue to make sure that I was washed and cleansed. Though men will not forgive me when I fall short, the Lord is quick to forgive. He knows that I am flesh. All have sinned and come short of God’s glory. Men know this, yet they are ready to leap on others when they fall short. They forsake those with weaknesses when they should rally to strengthen the weaknesses of others. Men will point out my weaknesses and discount my strengths. They will devalue my worth to the kingdom and God, but the Lord will not forget my labor of love for his name. I have sinned. The Lord knew that I would sin before he created me; therefore, he supplied a sacrifice and holy blood as atonement and a way of access to him. I will not be condemned because I have sinned and fell short; neither will I allow my weaknesses to become liabilities to me. I will go and strengthen those who are at war with the same spirit of condemnation that seeks to cut off God’s people from justification. The Lord justified me by faith. Faith knows that I am not righteous; therefore, it waits to hear the sound of my belief in God’s righteousness. I voice the victorious blast of a justified believer, and I experience the freedom that was purchased by my Lord. Not one of us is righteous of ourselves. All of my righteousness is as a filthy rag. Not one of us is good. Paul was very aware that there was no good thing in his flesh. He knew that he could not do anything without the Lord. He knew that his righteousness was rude and indecent. God has always taken people who will recognize that it is not them that does the work, but the Father who dwells in them that does the work.
By
Don Grigsby
Don
and Linda Grigsby
RE: Rhema - Celebrate Forgiveness, Which Is Provided by Love - Part 1
If God should mark iniquity as in a court of law, who would not be condemned?
His grace has justified us and not hurled us over the precipice into the oblivion of despair. Sin had led us all in the disarray of condemnation's prison. Calvary's mercy so flooded the depths of the dungeons of despair that the earthquake of the resurrection placed us on the solid ground of acceptance again. Condemnation has thrown its victims from one tormentor to another, but love has embraced us as the Heavenly Father that he is and restored us in a glorious celebration of the fatted calf of forgiveness. We fail and falter, but the same currency that bought us out of the original state of sin that crushed out lives will go like the prophet Hosea and restore us again and again. Sin would like to write permanent scars across our face and disfigure us with shame. God is the health of our countenance. He will wash away our shame with the same blood that takes away the sins of the world. His sustaining grace lets us know when we are at our weakest points of temptation, that he is strong to deliver and rescue us.
God chose to use David, Peter, and Abraham after the failure of their own efforts revealed that it was not themselves but God in his providential love that showers us with the rain of forgiveness. Peter denied the Lord three times, yet God covered his shame with his shadow of power after forgiveness, and it healed all that were in the streets. How many could truly be healed and delivered if we let the shadow of the marvelous light of forgiveness overshadow their condition?
Out of our own forgiveness flows the rivers of life giving mercy that washes away the pain of past failures. We build our own mercy seat as we become a mercy seat for others. Our celebration of mercy’s everlasting love should never cease.
You survived the clutches of idolatry, and by grace, you came up out of the horrible pit of religion. By my grace, I brought you to the dry ground of the chief cornerstone. The rope of love did not leave you in the dark dungeon of despair while I rescued others, but I brought you along with others. I stretched my hand to some of your friends, and they rejected my help. Will you reject my offer of mercy after being delivered from such horrible blindness of heart?
Come and reason together with me, and I will show you of my easy yoke and my light burden again. Yoke yourself no longer with the strength of human reasoning, but yoke yourself with me, and rest while I show you of an easier way. You have trusted in self and man too long. You say that you have trusted in me, but have you really learned to trust in me as Paul trusted in me?
(RHEMA: The Grace of God Caused Us To Survive the Clutches of Idolatry)
I survived the clutches of idolatry, and by grace, I came up out of the horrible pit of religion. By God's grace, he brought me to the dry ground of the chief cornerstone. The rope of love did not leave me in the dark dungeon of despair while he rescued others, but the Lord brought me along with others. He stretched his hand to some of my friends, and they rejected his help. I will not reject his offer of mercy after being delivered from such horrible blindness of heart. I have come to reason together with the Lord, and he will show me of his easy yoke and his light burden again. I no longer yoke myself with the strength of human reasoning, but I yoke myself with Jesus, and I rest while he shows me of an easier way. I have trusted in self and man too long. I have said that I have trusted in God, but I must learn to trust in him as Paul trusted in him.
(Confessions of a Sound Mind: Words of Light Upon the Face of Human Reasoning, Idolatry, Trouble, and Religion)
By
Don Grigsby
RE: RHEMA - Humility Will Dethrone Pride and Its Children
All the symphonic choirs of the heavens break forth into praise continually. Revelation produces worship and praise in the thankful heart. Our thanksgiving is not cast by the mirrors of the past or present images of this world. We continually behold the face of the One who made a way out of our pit of despair when we called on him and worshiped him the first time. Why would we turn again as others have to the hands of cruelty and pain?
Lust is deceitful, but love will always outreach the hands of seduction in our lives. All the false lovers that came before him should be cast beneath the feet of dancing worshipers. Grace has made a way for us in the most difficult of times. As the one leper that returned to the Lord, we should always remember the pit that he dug us out of and our position should be always worshiping at his feet. Every flood of iniquity and negative inundation will be swallowed up as we offer the sacrifice of praise on the altars of worship.
Our faithful friend has never left us or forsaken us. We have the only peace that lasts as we worship him. The sounds of praise are more soothing than the wind in the trees of the bubbling brook of the mountains. Its fresh air will constantly renew our lives in the stale atmosphere of gratitude where men are trapped in their own anger. You cannot be thankful and angry at the same time. We cannot be worshiping and worrying at the same second. You have to cease one to be involved in the other. We will continually dance in the worship of the King with his voice in our ear.
(Continued)
A man should give thanks for each day that he awakens unto another day of life abundantly. If I would transport you to the brink of the damned and allow you to hear those held in hell, you would return with a different outlook upon thankfulness. A journey into the knowledge of the damned would wake up any person; however, if they do not believe the preachers that I have sent, they will not hear my true words.
15. How can they hear without a preacher?
(To
Be Continued)
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© 2006 Moses Hightower All Rights Reserved
