DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
My wife’s head was buried in her hands when I walked into the kitchen. Her sniffles melted my heart. Something was desperately wrong.
It didn’t take long for me to discover that it was not something that was wrong. Within the next hour, waves of Holy Spirit conviction rolled over my heart. It was someone who was wrong, and I was that someone!
We had been struggling with our son’s illness for nearly a year. We prayed, but it seemed as though the heavens were closed and God wasn’t listening. My wife, Tex, and I had asked Him to search our hearts and show us if there was anything not pleasing to Him.
When I walked into the kitchen that day, God had just answered our prayer. With tears running down her face, Tex said, “I need to ask your forgiveness.”
I quickly pulled up a chair and stroked her hair. “For what?”
She poured out her heart. She had harbored bitterness because of things I had done early in our marriage that had wounded her. She said that she knew that bitterness had clouded our relationship. She repented and asked God to cleanse her. Now, she sought my forgiveness.
When she opened her heart, something happened in mine. It was as though I had been living with blinders, and they were removed instantly. God showed me my pride. He revealed how deeply I had hurt the person I loved the most. He manifested His holiness and exposed my sinfulness. I confessed my failure to Him.
I wept. I asked her forgiveness. We then took time to get away and spend with each other. We talked. Then, prayed. We wept. And prayed more. It was one of the deepest works of God that I’ve ever experienced.
I came away with several life-transforming truths from that encounter with God and renewal with my wife. First, it’s only when we see God in His holiness that we are driven to humility, brokenness, and forgiveness. If we’re busy thinking about ourselves, it clogs the flow of God’s grace, and a dam of bitterness is constructed.
Second, forgiveness attaches itself to a broken heart. The Psalmist said, “a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise” (Psalms 51:17). We experience forgiveness when we are broken over our failures.
Finally, when our hearts are humbled, it’s not difficult to ask forgiveness. We have a hard time seeking forgiveness because of the pride that fills us.
Tex and I experienced the greatest renewal of our marriage because we both encountered God in His holiness. We found ourselves broken before Him and each other. When we beheld Him, we sought forgiveness. There was no more room for pride or bitterness. Our hearts were filled with grace. Amazing grace!
Every family needs to seek God’s face. It’s when we see Him that we’ll fall on our knees and cry out for mercy. Grace and mercy are the ingredients that create an atmosphere of love and security. The character of the family is developed by humble, broken hearts, which seek His and one another’s forgiveness.
Spend some time today asking God to search your heart. His holiness will lead you down a path of grace and mercy. You’ll find forgiveness on the way.
Matthew : Chapter 18
1) At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2) He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3) And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4) Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5) And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Causing to Stumble 6) “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7) Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8) If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9) And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. The Parable of the Wandering Sheep 10) “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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