Author: Jim Corbett

        "If you turn your back on Me and do not listen to My Words, what can you expect your life to be? If you do not act as Jesus would act to others, how do you think your relationships will fare? When you choose to live like the world, how can I bless you? I have shown you how to live. I have given you a pattern of life to follow. His Name is Jesus.

        "Living any other way is choosing to live as the world lives. I have separated you from the world. You have been told to live in the midst of others, so they can see Jesus. You are to forgive them as I have forgiven you. You are showing them a religious, powerless person who has little resemblance to who He is. It is time for you to change. Repent now! Begin to walk as He does."

Matthew 18:21-35 NIV

21) Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

22) Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23) "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

24) As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

25) Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26) "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'

27) The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28) "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

29) "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

30) "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

31) When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32) "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

33) Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'

34) In anger his master turned him over to the jailers until he should pay back all he owed.

35) "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

So many of us ask our Lord to give us mercy, but we won't give mercy to others. We are ready to hold up the sins of others to scrutiny, yet we ask Him to cover our own. People who are spiritually blind can only see the sins of another. Even if they get to a point where they can see their own sin, they are more than willing to walk in little or no forgiveness.

God is calling His people to treat others in the same way that Jesus treated those with whom He came in contact. Most of all, He loved them. In the end, He gave up His life for them. We may not be able to physically go to the cross; but we can lay down our own imagined right to judge others, which is actually picking up our own cross and following Jesus.

Teach me to not worry about the slivers, Lord,

Jim Corbett

        "My children, you do not really understand the wonders of repentance. Most of you are afraid of humbling yourselves in front of each other to the point that you would rather keep an offense active than aggressively pursue reconciliation. It is the same way that you treat Me. You come to Me with your offenses only when I have broken your heart to the point that you can no longer stand it. Then you pour your remorse out for a moment and walk away until the next time you feel you must come. It is a vicious, unnecessary cycle. Too much wonderful fellowship is missed between times of cleansing.

        "True freedom is the wonder of living a life of repentance before each other and with Me. That kind of life is not weakness; it is true strength. It is absolute, open fellowship without any hindrances. As you come to Me instantly and often, I have ample opportunity to impart Myself to you, allow you to grow unfettered by sin; and see you remain in a humble position before Me.

        "You are allowed to continually benefit from a flow of My grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Because of the openness of this kind of interaction, My Word rings clearly in your spirit, My voice is unmistakable over the din of life; and My direction is clear, quieting all of the opposing opinions.

        "I love to see you in a constant state of forgiveness. I love to flow continuously with you through your life. I love unbroken fellowship. Keep a short account with Me concerning sin. Come to me freely and often. You will be amazed how your life changes. You will be astounded at the power I give you to overcome the world. You will find the prosperity of continuous forgiveness so rewarding that your life as it exists now will seem dull and dreary as you look back on it from a position of freedom."

Romans 8:1-2 AMP

1) Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

2) For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.

Hebrews 10:14b NIV

...because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Have you ever seen someone who cherishes something he owns, such as a new car? I don't mean someone who simply enjoys the car and drives it; I mean someone who washes, polishes, and meticulously removes every hint of dust, dirt, or even water spot. Extending that thought even further, take someone who owns a show car.

If you've never attended a custom auto show, you should. Go there, however, with the thought that sin is like a speck of dirt. Gross sin is mud. Separation from God is a demolished car and repentance is the restoring agent. Now walk the aisles as a judge who gives out the trophies would, looking for the slightest flaw or hint of imperfection. To the untrained eye, every one of the displays looks perfect. To the judge, however, any shortcut taken in the building of the car stands out like a flashing light.

It is the same with the owners. Any owner who has a tendency to cut corners, or not seek perfection, will attempt to direct the attention of the judge with some sort of flashy make-believe, actually seeing him as an adversary who needs to be overcome.

The owner who knows everything is in order anticipates and welcomes the judge, knowing his car is the best that he can make it. Both judge and owner are there for the joy of being part of the best, rather than simply getting by. They participate together, both enjoying the wonder of the perfection available and working toward that end.

If the judge should find even the slightest flaw, causing the owner to lose the trophy for that show, you can bet that the flaw will be non-existent for the next show. Finding the flaw is simply one step closer to perfection as far as the owner is concerned. It is not an indictment, but an opportunity to be better and more confident next time.

So it is with our relationship with God. We can look at our loving Father as an angry, scrutinizing judge who wants to find imperfections in us so that He can punish us for not being perfect; or we can see our relationship as a union, building a work of perfection together, and enjoying each step of the way.

The first attitude leads to legalism, fear, and a haphazard relationship. The second is a picture of cooperation, mutual goals, and intimate communication, which leads to a wondrous fellowship, absent of any hint of fear. Each "speck" of dust found is enthusiastically removed and considered grounds for intimate communication in a relationship designed to attain the best "product" available - one that glorifies the Father, represents and pleases the Son, rejoices in the comfort of the Holy Spirit and points to their perfecting work. That is true freedom!

Wanting to live in cooperation with my loving Father,

Jim Corbett

        "Did you know that doubt is one of the biggest hindrances to Our fellowship? It's true! If, first of all, you doubt that I really am who I say I am, you will never embrace all that I have done for you. If, after you come to Me through My Son, Jesus, you carry any doubt that I have totally accepted you with an unqualified love, you will wallow in a partial, fumbling existence.

        "You will never experience the kind of wonder that I have planned for you. Instead of experiencing joy and contentment, you will only be able to muddle through your life, confused and marginally happy. That breaks My heart.

        "I would ask you to focus on this one request. Place your hand in Mine and spend whatever time it takes to settle in your heart once and for all that I love you; and that I am for you, never against you. I will always be against the sin in you, but don't confuse My dealing with that sin and My caring for you. Get rid of any doubt in your heart. Throw away all your doctrinal teachings if they don't line up with My Word. Eliminate all of your traditions and teachings of man. Press in to Me and require Me to open your eyes to the truth. Seek only truth, and I will show you that truth. I will show you My heart.

        "Once you have settled in your heart that I am real and that I love you, you will finally realize the wonderful life that I have for you. If you never settle these basic truths in your heart, how can you ever expect to get to know Me? How can you ever expect to have peace? Come to Me now; I am waiting to give you truth."

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

Let's see... While we were still sinners, God loved us. We continually fail Him, but He continually forgives us. We deserve nothing but hell, yet He sent His Son to die for us. Over and over we fail Him, but over and over He promises to forgive us. Seems too good to be true, doesn't it?

I believe that the plan of God is such astounding news, we are sometimes afraid to fully accept it. Maybe we unconsciously think that if we did, and then discovered the plan isn't really as good as the Word says it is, we'd be disappointed fools. Isn't that amazing? The God of everything has provided such wealth for us, and we set it aside as if it was too good to be true.

Let's say that a friend walked up to you and handed you a package, telling you not to open it until you got home. After rushing home, you opened the package and found a vast amount of money and a note which indicated that the money was a gift, no strings attached. You could spend it however you pleased. It went on to explain the heart of the giver and his motive for giving you the gift. After checking back with the friend and profusely thanking him, you understood that the gift was real, and it was given to you out of honest love.

What if, however, you never spent the money, thinking it was too good to be true; and you lived in fear that someday the friend might ask you to return it? How foolish would that be?

In a very small way, that is how foolish it is to doubt God in any way. Over and over, He has written in His Word about the strength of His character, His love for us, and His astounding desire to bless us. Over and over, we refuse to believe that He really loves us enough to supply us with all that He has made available.

Wanting to no longer offend my Lord,

Jim Corbett