Titus 3:1-2 - Asking Forgiveness

Titus 3:1-2 "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people." (ESV)

Romans 12:18 "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." (NASB)

Sometimes hearing the Lord has been a hard thing for me to do. This time around He made it very easy, though.

The Lord first sent my pastor with a scripture for me to write about....Luke 9:58......"And Jesus said to him, 'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'" (NASB)

The conclusion I arrived after writing my thoughts on that scripture is that the only thing that is real and permanent in life.............Who *can't* be taken away........is the Lord so I must diligently seek after Him.

So when I turned to the Lord in prayer one night, I asked Him to help me keep my focus on the work He wants me to do and to not let me get distracted by the things of this world. I wanted to do what is meaningful to Him. I wanted to please Him.

The next morning I was impressed upon to look up this scripture......Matthew 28:19........"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," (NASB) Now, wait a second here Lord isn't this a bit quick.....the world is a big place and (let me see if I understand you) I'm to go into it, find disciples and baptize them in the name of Jesus.........ya know, I may need to think about this a bit.

That afternoon, a man I knew only casually came right up to me and said......"I have a message for you from the Boss." I smiled and asked him how he knew my boss............and he pointed up and said.........."No, *The* Boss. And that message is that He has something special for you to do." Wow! Okay...........I get it Lord.

Then it came to me, that before any of this could happen, I had some forgiveness to ask of some people. I was nursing a grudge for three years now, and it was time for me to ask them to forgive me.........Forgive *me*?! I was the one who was wronged.

Then it came to me.........that doesn't matter, you're one of mine.........and one of mine walks the narrow path. You must ask forgiveness because that blocks your progress on the Path I've chosen for you.

I don't have to be told again, Lord. I've started that process today, and I'm excited to find out what lies beyond.

Love in Jesus,

Jim

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"But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired." (1 Corinthians 12:18 NASB)

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

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This devotional was originally posted on CCI-Devo - Daily Group Devotionals on April 29, 2004 in post #538. It was written by Jim Ross, a former United Pentecostal Church member, who attends Christian Challenge International, the sponsor of the devotional group. The devotional is the copyright of Jim Ross and is reprinted on this site by permission.

Page added April 14, 2006

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