This Easter Sunday morning I wrote…

I invite You Jesus to be the first person to come fully into my life
– no barriers of fear of my sinful self
– for you have dissolved them.
No barriers of false fear of You
– for your death has proved Your love for me
– and has proved terror of You to be a lie.
No unneeded barriers to others
– for You are protector, and strengthener.
And the effect of Your having no barriers toward me
meant that You took all of my hurt
and my hurting of others on Yourself
– and You left it at the Cross!

Does suffering for You mean this?
That we too can be prepared to let people hurt us,
and not hate them;
not shut them out of our lives forever (though keeping a sensible distance);
that we can forgive them with Your help;
praying for them, loving them with Your love, and blessing them,
desiring still to sort things out with them
now or in the forever after?…
Then I trust you do help me dear Lord…

Colossians 1:24; Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28; Romans 12:14;
And this week’s sermon from Michael Watson
John 20:19 ‘when the doors were shut for fear’; John 14:27
That’s what I call a ‘God-incidence’!