During the Last Supper, Jesus tells us in John 13:34 we are to love one another.  As Christians this love should translate into healing.  In other words, the church should be a place of healing and encouragement. A place where words of comfort are spoken. Proverbs 15:1 tells us that “a soft word turns away wrath”.  Sometimes we need to be comforted, sometimes we need to comfort others. These words of comfort also heal.  While this comfort and healing will happen all year long, there is no better season for it to start than Lent and Easter. The healing I am referring to comes from:

1. Knowing Jesus has healed our relationship with our Creator, God the Father. This was accomplished when He died on the cross. Remember He died so we could be forgiven of our sins.
2. The Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus tells us we are to forgive those who trespass against us. What we discover is that when we forgive/love, even our enemies, we are healed. This healing comes from God and occurs in our hearts. I think this is what Apostle Paul was referring to when he reminds us to “Guard our hearts”.   Proverbs 4:23, tells us “Above all guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”.
   1. This healing of our hearts comes in many forms. For instance, when we sit in a quiet place at home or a public place at church, confess our sins and ask God to forgive those who have sinned against us. We will find God is faithful and he will heal us.
   2. It occurs when we apologize to those we have offended. This is a hard thing to do, but it helps to remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”.
   3. The final way to receive this healing is to read Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. Here Jesus tells you to “pray for your enemy”.  When we do, He starts to heal the bitterness in our hearts and “we become children of the Father in heaven”.

The world around us is in chaos. It encourages us to cancel and destroy our enemy. So, we have two choices, trust the world or trust Jesus. I pray you will put your trust in Jesus!  Remember, He is the one who rose on Easter Sunday.

Pastor Bob