From Me to You Scripture Reading – 1 Peter 1:19 - 20 (NLT)

"It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days." 

You remember the words of John the Baptist that day when Jesus was approaching him calling Jesus the Lamb of God, who would take away the sins of the world. Forgiveness was not something that caught God off guard, and at the last moment He had to scramble together a plan of how He might remedy the situation when our first parents Adam and Eve freely chose to disobey God.

Today's text reminds us of the far reaching love of God in Christ Jesus, yes, even before the foundation of the world. Before we were created not only did God know that we would willfully walk away from His love and sin, but He already planned for Christ Jesus to come and redeem us, buy us back again not with silver or gold, but with His precious blood, shed on the cross of Calvary.

And so how will you and I respond, when we are offended, sinned against, willfully disobey God, or are the subjects of someone else's disobedience? It would do us good to remember that God does not treat us as our sins deserve, but rather has cleansed us from all sin because of the sacrifice of His Son our Savior Jesus Christ.

So when you are faced with the opportunity to forgive another, even/especially when it hurts. In Jesus name pray and say, 'From Me to You', brother/sister/friend, in His grace right now I forgive you. Remember looking at us on the cross Jesus prayed, ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do’. When you do, you will discover that in that very process you will find His newness of life, love and freedom, rising up and through you. 

Prayer Father I rejoice in the fact that You loved me first, long before I was capable of ever doing so. Help me in Jesus name, and in the Person and power of the Holy Spirit to be one who gives freely to others what You have given to me in forgiveness. 

Memory Verse:  Philippians 2:13 “For ____ is ________ in you, giving you the _______ and the power to do what pleases him.”