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- Apr 25, 2006
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YOU'RE FORGIVEN (1)
'Christ sacrificed His life's blood ... our sins are now forgiven.' Ephesians 1:7
Is that tight knot of regret a familiar feeling for you? Have the words 'if only' ever echoed around your head? 'If only I'd not done that, not said that, not agreed to that!' If you're going through life beating yourself up, or finding it tricky to forgive yourself, listen to this: 'Christ sacrificed His life's blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us.' (Eph 1:7 CEV) Let God be God in your life; accept His kind forgiveness today! But, a word of warning. Failure to do so could well be seriously detrimental to your health.
Your mind and feelings affect your body. Doctors say an attitude of bitterness generates chemicals that affect your vital organs: increase your heart rate, raise your blood pressure, disrupt your digestion, tense your muscles, drop cholesterol into your bloodstream, and reduce your ability to think clearly. All this comes from a life spent rehearsing the past.
Science confirms that those who don't forgive themselves and others are more prone to heart attacks, depression, hypertension and other serious illnesses. It points towards a deep truth you'll find in the Bible - bitterness traps people in death, forgiveness leads to life. Start looking ahead. With God's forgiveness comes the wisdom and understanding to not only survive your past, but grow stronger as a result of it.
What now? Instead of guilt, choose gratitude. That's not hard to do; just begin to reflect on God's goodness. When you start to look for God's gifts, you'll find lots of things to thank Him for. It might help to start by thinking of forgiveness as a gift too, and not just as an on/off switch.
written by Bob Gass
'Christ sacrificed His life's blood ... our sins are now forgiven.' Ephesians 1:7
Is that tight knot of regret a familiar feeling for you? Have the words 'if only' ever echoed around your head? 'If only I'd not done that, not said that, not agreed to that!' If you're going through life beating yourself up, or finding it tricky to forgive yourself, listen to this: 'Christ sacrificed His life's blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us.' (Eph 1:7 CEV) Let God be God in your life; accept His kind forgiveness today! But, a word of warning. Failure to do so could well be seriously detrimental to your health.
Your mind and feelings affect your body. Doctors say an attitude of bitterness generates chemicals that affect your vital organs: increase your heart rate, raise your blood pressure, disrupt your digestion, tense your muscles, drop cholesterol into your bloodstream, and reduce your ability to think clearly. All this comes from a life spent rehearsing the past.
Science confirms that those who don't forgive themselves and others are more prone to heart attacks, depression, hypertension and other serious illnesses. It points towards a deep truth you'll find in the Bible - bitterness traps people in death, forgiveness leads to life. Start looking ahead. With God's forgiveness comes the wisdom and understanding to not only survive your past, but grow stronger as a result of it.
What now? Instead of guilt, choose gratitude. That's not hard to do; just begin to reflect on God's goodness. When you start to look for God's gifts, you'll find lots of things to thank Him for. It might help to start by thinking of forgiveness as a gift too, and not just as an on/off switch.
written by Bob Gass
