Three o’clock is considered by some devotions as the hour of Mercy because that was the hour, according to Mark 15: 33-34 when Christ died on the cross.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) Mark 15: 3-34
According to Scripture, three o’clock in the afternoon was the hour when the blood of the Lamb covered our sins so the Almighty may see them no more. It was the hour of our forgiveness. Jesus paid it all. He paid the debt that was ours. He died so we could live. By His wounds we have been healed. By His blood we are forgiven. The veil is torn so there is no separation with God anymore. The sinners are forgiven and the prisoners of sin are set free. Death has lost its sting. In Christ we are cleansed.
Those called to believe in the power of Jesus’ blood now walk as Children of God, and as such, are commanded to extend that same grace that was so freely given to us, out to our brothers. It is no easy task, however, because forgiveness is the last thing we want to offer to those who maliciously hurt us. How do we forgive? “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” the old adage says. Those who walk with Christ in their hearts, however, are told to forgive the same way they were forgiven... It is a tough pill to swallow...
How do we forgive? I don’t know. Sometimes it seems an impossible feat. More often than not we don’t even know how to begin. To think about forgiving those who deeply wronged us is almost unfathomable at times. I know. I’m there. But what I do know is that I must do it even if the price seems too high because the alternative is even costlier.
Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting, but it is the first step toward mending the heart of the one who forgives. Even if it is just out of obedience, there comes a time when we must take that step to allow the healing to begin. The rest is up to the Lord, Our God,-that’s the part that only can be accomplished by the Divine.
The hour of Mercy. The hour of forgiveness. The hour our Lord, Jesus, died for us. The hour to start thinking about forgiving those who hurt us most.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) Mark 15: 3-34
According to Scripture, three o’clock in the afternoon was the hour when the blood of the Lamb covered our sins so the Almighty may see them no more. It was the hour of our forgiveness. Jesus paid it all. He paid the debt that was ours. He died so we could live. By His wounds we have been healed. By His blood we are forgiven. The veil is torn so there is no separation with God anymore. The sinners are forgiven and the prisoners of sin are set free. Death has lost its sting. In Christ we are cleansed.
Those called to believe in the power of Jesus’ blood now walk as Children of God, and as such, are commanded to extend that same grace that was so freely given to us, out to our brothers. It is no easy task, however, because forgiveness is the last thing we want to offer to those who maliciously hurt us. How do we forgive? “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” the old adage says. Those who walk with Christ in their hearts, however, are told to forgive the same way they were forgiven... It is a tough pill to swallow...
How do we forgive? I don’t know. Sometimes it seems an impossible feat. More often than not we don’t even know how to begin. To think about forgiving those who deeply wronged us is almost unfathomable at times. I know. I’m there. But what I do know is that I must do it even if the price seems too high because the alternative is even costlier.
Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting, but it is the first step toward mending the heart of the one who forgives. Even if it is just out of obedience, there comes a time when we must take that step to allow the healing to begin. The rest is up to the Lord, Our God,-that’s the part that only can be accomplished by the Divine.
The hour of Mercy. The hour of forgiveness. The hour our Lord, Jesus, died for us. The hour to start thinking about forgiving those who hurt us most.
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