"Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we
forgive our debtors."---Jesus Christ's Prayer (Matthew 6:11-12)

Living in a third world country like Romania, I come face to face
everyday with needy people. People weekly approach me to explain
their need for money for things they think they need. Whereas their
level of need is much greater than that of most in the West, we all
tend to think we need more than we actually do. Very seldom is our
need a matter of not having food, clothing, or shelter. Yet, as a
Christian, I try to bestow a sympathetic ear to those in need. "Satan
can offer us more on this earth," I assure them, "but God, in His
grace, GUARANTEES to meet our needs~~an assurance you lose by seeking
another kingdom.(Matthew 6:33) Even in cases when an allegiance to
the Evil One may give one great riches, despair is ensured." Jesus
said, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions." (Luke 12:15)

Such discussions give me the opportunity to present the blessing of
the `poverty of guilt.' Today, let us consider J.B. Moody's emphasis
that what we lose is much more important than what we gain.

"Numerous are our wants, complete our dependence, bringing us day by
day as pensioners with the oft repeated cry of give, give; but greater
is our guilt, and greater the need that He should TAKE AWAY." (The
Exceeding Riches of the Manifold Grace of God, p. 42) All of us have
been blessed by God in many ways, but His greatest blessing is one
nobody can take from us. His greatest blessing is not what He gives
us but what He took away. "We are great dependents, but greater
culprits; and it is better that He should give us nothing at all, than
"Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil
against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law
and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of
the law but a judge."---James 4:11

"The words: `Freely Forgive,' in Luke 7:42, is Karizomai, the verb
form of Karis-grace. It is also translated, forgive, in Luke 7:3, 2
Corinthians 2:7,10 (three times), 12:13; Ephesians 4:32 (two times);
Colossians 2:12, 3:10 (two times). It is translated "Freely Give" in
Romans 8:32; I Corinthians 2:12... So Forgiveness must be on
principles of Grace, and if of Grace then not of Work."---J.B. Moody
(The Exceeding Riches of the Manifold Grace of God, p. 39)

This evening, I spent two hours with someone who has stopped going to
church. The reason he gives is that he was disappointed with the
amount of money the members gave him when he presented his needs to
them. In many parts of the world, the message of grace has not been
sown. Grace is unique to Christianity since God IS agape (love) and
whoever does not have God does not have agape. The Apostle John tells
us that we have good reason to doubt our love for God if we don't give
to those in need.(I John 3:17)

However, failure to exercise grace and forgiveness toward our brother
or condemning him for not giving enough to help us are actions equally
offensive to the Lord.(I John 4:20; James 4:11-12) Grace is unique to
Christianity and practicing grace by giving and forgiving is our
highest calling. Glenn Tinder wrote this in his article for The
Atlantic Monthly titled "Can we be good without God?" Just as you
cannot teach a cat to fly for he has no wings, you cannot hope a
non-believer will love or forgive.

Let us not judge our neighbor because we are not in his shoes. Dale
Carnegie points out in his book How to Win Friends and Influence
People that if we were in the person's situation, we would likely do
what he does. We would not act any differently from our brother if we
had his needs, his background, his spiritual foundation, his genetic
inheritance, his education, etc. This made me a much more humble and
understanding person. Now, when someone does something that I
wouldn't think of doing, I remind myself of the philosophy of Mr.
Carnegie and say, thanks to God's grace I am not in his situation or
I'd do the same thing.

Point of Grace
Fellow pilgrim, is there someone who has let you down or betrayed you?
Do you hold it against him or have you forgiven him enough to pray
God's blessing upon him? Have you been a judge of the law or a doer
of it? Take a moment now and pray about that situation.