Victory Weekend

Whatever resources God has given you He has given so that you can be
generous in helping and serving others. It may be money and the ability to
make money. I couldn’t do what I do without friends whom God has blessed
with this ability, and they are using that wealth to advance His kingdom. It may
be giftedness in any area: administration, hospitality, artistic design, mechanical
expertise, cooking, nurturing children, the gift of a green thumb, the ability to
paint, or capture a message in a photograph. Time is a gift, perhaps the most
precious thing anyone can give—once given, it can never be replenished. In
whatever way the Lord has made you rich, He’s given you that resource to use
generously to benefit others. Our Lord reminds us that it might even be just
a bottle of cold water that you hand to someone else instead of drinking it
yourself on a sweltering day.

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion,
and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
—2 Corinthians 9:11

God created us to give. The sun gives light by day. The moon and stars give
light by night. The Lord sends rain to water the earth and bring nourishment.
Plants grow, then they decay and bring more nourishment to the earth, giving
even in death. It’s a cycle. Everything gives.

And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from
your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.
—Philemon 1:6 (NLT)

We want to represent Christ well not only in what we say and do but
also in who we are. The principles we will focus on throughout the Lodestar
study are essential to leadership; and when God’s Spirit empowers us through
these traits, we are even more effective as His representative, carrying on His
work and mission.

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks through him to God the Father.
—Colossians 3:17 (NLT)

Living in forgiveness shows others the mercy and forgiveness of
God. We are His children, and we are to imitate Him. For some, the only
way that the forgiveness of God becomes real is when they see it imitated and
repeated in human relationships.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being
transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord,
who is the Spirit.
—2 Corinthians 3:18

We’ve given the wrong title to one of Jesus’ most famous parables, the
story of the Prodigal Son. We use that adjective prodigal to describe the son
because of his wasteful, extravagant living. But the person in the story who
was more importantly prodigal was the father.

But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will
be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.
—Matthew 5:44–45 (NLT)

Forgiveness is hard. It goes against everything in our sinful nature that is
selfish, prideful, and wants revenge. The Holy Spirit guides us to forgive and
let go of our record-keeping, but our sinful nature fights it. Maybe you are
right in the middle of that struggle right now. You have been hurt, and you’re
still holding on to the pain, anger, or resentment. But Jesus has told us to
keep on forgiving. And if He has told us to do it, then His Spirit living in us
will also give us the strength and the will to do it. He will continue His work
in us. If we keep our connection to the Vine strong, His life will flow into us.

And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
—2 Corinthians 3:17

C. S. Lewis wrote, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable,
because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” We all look at our lives
and know that we do not have a clean record. We’ve said and done things
we should never have said and done. We know that we haven’t measured
up to God’s standard for living. We know that on any record of our lives,
there would be plenty of black marks. Yet God’s forgiveness cancels all records
against us (Colossians 2:14). Christ took away that record and nailed it to the
cross. He forgave all our sins. He no longer sees the inexcusable things we’ve
said and done.

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

Those who don’t forgive are the losers. Holding on to resentment, isolating
oneself, and letting anger eat away at your life will destroy your peace. Forgive,
let go of the wrongs in the past, and give people an opportunity to move
forward. Forgiveness frees both you and the person who has offended you.
Forgiveness frees us of all the destructive feelings surrounding the past: anger,
tension, frustration, feelings of guilt and failure, and maybe even a desire for
revenge. Those feelings on both sides of a situation can keep us in shackles.
If we forgive, we make the decision to let go of those feelings. Forgiveness is
a choice for freedom.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
—Matthew 5:7

Forgiveness clears the record of wrongs. That is what God has done
for us, and that is what we are to do for others. Just as God keeps on forgiving
us when we stumble, we are to go on forgiving. Someone asked Jesus, “How
many times do I have to forgive him?” Have you asked that question, too? The
Jewish law required forgiving seven times. Even that might sound excessive.
“I forgave him once, but . . . six more times? Doesn’t that make me weak, a
pushover?” That would be the world’s response, wouldn’t it? Jesus’ answer was
emphatic, “No, not seven times. You forgive seventy times seven. You just
keep on forgiving.” That makes forgiving a way of life.

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you.
—Matthew 6:14

These verses are a good summary of the focus we want to have, my
friend! Keep your eyes on the Lord, His calling on your life, and the vision of
what He wants you to be. You are His representative in this world. You carry
His name, are a citizen of His kingdom and a child of God. Keep your focus
on His goals for you.

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful
thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to
the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
—Proverbs 4:25–27