He had been so steeped in sin; well, that’s what he thought of himself and his friends concur. He could never change. The worldly lifestyle was his thrill and giving it up was unimaginable. The girls, the drinks, parties and more; that was his life. After all, he was young and it was his life to live. But God had other plans! God choose a new direction for his life-a direction that led to a total change of both the inner and outer man.

Have you gotten your Lamb yet? You need Him because you need the blood! Only the blood of Jesus can cleans from sin. We no longer celebrate the sacrificial systems and the Feast of The Passover Supper because we believe that Jesus was the fulfillment of these Mosaic laws. Jesus’ blood can cleanse you of every stain and defilement of sin. His blood has never and will never lose its power.

God loved us when we were alienated from Him. He loved us when we were good, when we do the things we should. He loved us when we were bad, even though it makes Him sad. God loves us unconditionally. He knew us, yet He loved us! No one is always good, yet that does not change the way He feels about us. He does not employ the ‘an eye for an eye’ method of exerting revenge. No, He does not revenge, but in loving kindness He draws us to Himself. He loves unconditionally. We are called to emulate Him even in knowing, yet loving.

The love of God never ceases to amaze me! His love is so stubborn and relentless. His love knows no measure. His love found a way to reconcile mankind to Himself! He turned away His own wrath by sacrificing His own Son, Jesus!! Isn’t that amazing? And what’s even more amazing is that Jesus Himself loves us just as much, and is ready and willing to forgive us of our sins. Jesus did not delegate this responsibility to humans – the responsibility to forgive sins. He is our High Priest. He encouraged us not to sin but just in case we did, He was our advocate with Father God. We are only required to confess our faults to each other!

Like the process of physical immunization, in the spiritual realm, we needed an immunogen. God in His wisdom knew that the only way we would survive is to have this needed vaccination. He sent Jesus to be our immunogen. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. Praise the Lord! The immunization process is complete. But God did even more.

Most importantly, we should commit our ways to God and allow Him to lead and direct our lives. For all encounters, pleasant and unpleasant ones, let’s ask ourselves the question: What would Jesus do? How would He handle the matter? We can be assured that we will receive an immediate answer. Listen for the response because His promise is certain:

There is an abiding peace when you obey out of love. Love God supremely and allow Him to love others through. Love others not because they are good but because they are God's child.

It’s no easy feat to forgive someone over and over again, especially for the same wrong. It’s as if they aren’t sincere and has no desire to stop. But God did not mean forgiveness for only the offending party. Forgiveness works equally well for the offended too. Releasing someone from the wrong they did or continue to do to you is freeing your heart to receive God’s abundant grace and peace.

Violence is never welcome. Avenging one’s self is not the answer. We are to strive for a peaceful resolution to whatever conflict is faced. Living with anger, hurt and resentment will make us unlovable individuals. The “eye for eye” civil statute will leave many blind, without a body part, or dead; but, in the better way to live, forgiveness is king. Joseph practiced it when he forgave his brothers for kidnapping and selling him into slavery.