FROM THE PULPIT: LET US FORGET THAT WHICH HAS BEEN FORGIVEN

A Pastor friend tells a story of the two little boys who enrolled in the first grade of elementary school. On the first day of school, the teacher asked these two little hrothers about their birthdays. The story goes something like this:

The first little brother said, "I was born on January I, 1984."

The second said, " I was born on April 4, 1984."

The teacher smiled and asked, "How can it be that you were born so close together?"

One of the little brothers spoke up and said, "One of us is adopted."

The teacher knelt down before both of them and asked, "Which one of you is adopted?"

"I asked my daddy one day, 'Which one of us is adopted?' and my daddy knelt down and gave both us a big hug and kiss and said, 'I can't remember anymore.'"

This story is a wonderfull example of God's love and grace in our lives. There is no doubt that when we commit our lives to God through faith in Jesus Christ that God no longer remembers when we did not belong to the family. All of our past sins are forgotten. All that has separated us from God's love is as though it never existed.

As human beings we sometimes remember too much and stand in judgment of one another long after past sins and mistakes should be forgiven and removed from our memory. I believe our world would be better place if we could strive to be more like our heavenly father who forgets our resentments and anger and who forgives our pride and selfishness. How thankful we all are for a loving God loves us and claims us as His own children.