An Excerpt from Our Upcoming Devotional “God, Give Me a Willing Heart”

Forgiveness

“Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,
so he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.”
2 Corinthians 2:7

We have an opportunity to forgive every time someone sins against us. Jesus Christ, whom we have all sinned against, forgave us and He commands us to forgive as we have been forgiven. Have you ever been grieved by the bad choice of a friend? That choice may have created profound, impactful heartache. Likewise, have you ever wronged someone and hurt them deeply? Did you want to be forgiven for your actions?

Joseph had plenty of good reasons not to forgive his brothers. Out of jealousy they had plotted to kill him, stripped him of his robe, threw him into an empty tank, then sold him to a caravan going to Egypt; only to then lie to their father that he had been devoured by a ferocious animal. However, years later when his brother’s came to Egypt to retrieve some food during the famine, Joseph, now being the governor of the land, recognized them and wept. (Genesis 37 & 42-45) He forgave his brothers and offered to them all he possessed so they would no longer
feel distressed and punished for what they had done.

The remorse one has for his actions is painful. The more we punish the one who wronged us, the more burdened they may become because of that sin, crippling them from moving forward in their life and hindering the healing of the relationship. Let us forgive and console our spouses, parents, children and friends for their imperfections, and pray that they forgive us ours. Then, we can cast off unnecessary sorrow and walk with one another in joy and peace.

The 12th of May: A Conversation - About Life

The complex difficulties of life can have a way of bringing you down. And down is not a place I want to be; and definitely not a place I want to remain.

So, today I begin a conversation about life as a means of sharing, and my way of casting my anxieties upon Him – because He cares for me. There is no better way to overcome than by releasing your troubles to God, and then giving Him praise for all He has done, freeing yourself to move onward and upward in His grace and mercy.

I begin with a praise report. Twin Pierrot is a dream come true - one I inked on paper and handed to the Lord a far time ago; and now it has come to pass. Gabriel called me up, what seems like just a moment ago, and said he had had a dream. What was revealed to him was that God gave us these talents, and we needed to use our abilities to glorify the Lord. So along with Gabriel’s business plan, Twin Pierrot was birthed. We made a decision and made a change, a progressive one.

Now, less than one year later we have a short film, “Jim and Della,” finalized and submitted to a Christian Film Festival. We have written an extremely well-received play, “Willing Hearts: A courtship Comedy.” We have memorized, rehearsed it and are ready to perform. We have performances in the books and are believing in God to multiply the numbers 7 X 70 times! Wow... God is good! The glory goes to Him.

It’s not always easy to turn down enticing theatrical productions – trust me. As an actor I get this itch from time to time to just sink my teeth into a really juicy role. In fact, I enjoy getting the offers. I feel honored that people want me involved in their shows, and if the right opportunity presents itself - one that fits into our vision and the Lord’s - we will talk. However, until then we support our friends and are so excited to see their shows be successful. But belief must be coupled with action – so we stay committed to our work, our service to the Lord.

Tonight I meet with Jeremy to continue discussing and to confirm our future plans for “The Truth Project” (Truth in Jesus + Truth in Acting). We are going to work with the youth of New Covenant, our home church, and create a powerhouse Drama Ministry. There are some tremendously talented kids we are so blessed to have the opportunity to teach and cultivate.

Hmmm... you may be wondering at this point – What troubles? She hasn’t really mentioned any. I guess I got distracted by all the good stuff. Funny how when you start looking at all that God is doing around you and devote your heart to Him, "you will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.”

Until next time my friends...

Rebecca