Some Records You DON’T Want To Keep

Fresh Manna 2009© by Pastor Tim Burt

There are truly some incredible things that people have accomplished in this world. There are those that have swum the English Channel, climbed Mt. Everest, biked across America, held their breath underwater for over four minutes, pulled a semi-truck trailer over one block’s distance with a chain and their bare hands, and on and on… There are many books written on amazing feats that people have accomplished.

There is one amazing feat that I know the Lord would like us all to be able to accomplish—on an ongoing basis. It is stated at the end of today’s Fresh Manna verse. Love does not keep a record of wrongs. Now at first that statement might not even make you stop and think—so I suggest you do just that. Think about how many times you remember what someone did to you or said to you that really made you mad, offended you, or really bugged you. You may have read this verse and thought, “I don’t keep grudges. I don’t get offended. I don’t get bugged easily.” The truth probably is, you do much more than you realize. You very likely and all too often probably remember something that someone did that bothered you and without thinking about it, added it on to the bugging or bothering that they are presently touching your life with.

If every person that we deal with closely in our lives had a clean slate at each new encounter, our patience level with them would go so much further. We so want God to be like that with us, and He is! It is one of the awesome qualities of this supernatural covenant that He has established with us. The Bible tells us He is love. The Bible tells us love keeps no record of wrongs. It sounds impossible but it’s not. It’s supernatural. That’s why God can and does do it. That’s what Jesus’ blood has made provision for. It covers and shields our offenses and wrong doings from God’s eyes. That should make you feel awesome. That is why God is so patient with us.

Are you and I that forgiving? Are we that overlooking—that patient with people in our life? Probably not! Could we be? Only if we would continually reflect on God’s love and patience with us. So much more grace would be created within us toward others if we remembered over and over that the offense that is bugging us is one that Jesus has probably forgiven us of.

A while back, this man was waiting on my parents. I was standing back watching. He was totally rude to them and I wanted to go chew him out. I didn’t. I stewed instead. Every time I saw him from that point on, I remembered that moment when he was rude to my parents. I didn’t even want to talk with him. One day I heard the Lord tell me that I was keeping a record of this man’s wrong and that I was stuck in unforgiveness toward him. I had to repent and totally forgive this man. The Lord instructed me to pray for him. As I did, the ill feelings left and I could finally forgive him.

There are some people that have done some amazing feats that are fun to read about. Ready to try one of the greatest feats of all? Ready to practice keeping no records of wrong? Go for it! It is an amazing feat and you will be liberating instead of jailing the people that bug you. You yourself will be liberated in the process.

1 Cor 13:5 Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

In His love,
Pastor Tim