A man opened up to me about his past. It wasn’t good. Actually, it was really bad. He had broken laws. Committed crimes. In his own words, he deserved to go to hell.
But Jesus found him. Through his Word—and a girlfriend—Jesus reached out to him with grace and forgiveness. To the man’s surprise, he found himself going to church, Sunday after Sunday.
But every time he went, one man at church kept staring at him. Week after week, the man would spend the service staring at him. Do you know who that man was? He was the judge who had repeatedly sentenced the man for all his previous crimes.
Can you imagine that? If you were that judge, could you forgive that repentant criminal? Could you welcome him to your church? Do you forgive the people who’ve sinned against you?
There’s only one way: Through Jesus. The Bible encourages us: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). How much has the Lord forgiven you? Everything. Every time. Isn’t that amazing? With our past? With all that we’ve done? Jesus took it to the cross and died for every single sin. Forgiven!
So the next time you see that “sinner” sit down in your church, don’t just stare at him. Smile! Is there really forgiveness for him? Absolutely. And for you and me too. Thank you, Jesus!
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