#Jesus’ forgiveness

[compassionmattersmost]

Embracing Forgiveness and Compassion: A Reflection on John 8:11

In John 8:11, Jesus offers a profound lesson in forgiveness and compassion. The verse reads: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” This statement, made in a moment of deep moral and spiritual crisis, encapsulates the essence of Jesus’ teachings about grace and transformation. The Context of Compassion Jesus encounters a woman accused of adultery, brought before Him by those eager to…

[dxnyarya]

do you know how miserable and tragic your life has to be to say that katniss everdeen is luckier than you and be correct

[theoakings]

Don’t let shame distract you from the immense love Jesus has for you! He loves you so much! More than you could ever imagine. Nothing you could do or have done could ever separate you from His love!💗💫

[karisumawrites]

Don't shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him. - C.S. Lewis

[swampybogg]

[aureentuluva70]

OK but like...Gethsemane. Gethsemane, guys. I cannot express enough how important Gethsemane is and what happened there. Not to downplay the incredible importance of what happened on the Cross, of course not, but I find people really don't talk about Gethsemane enough in comparison, so I'm going to do it myself.

Gethsemane is found at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Fitting its name, the garden itself is full of olive trees, a kind of tree which holds great significance in scripture, probably the most revered plant in the bible. It is a symbol of peace, new life, prosperity, and reconciliation. It was the branch of an olive tree that the dove brought back to Noah while on the ark, signifying that the floods were receding. An olive tree is used to describe Jesus's jewish roots as the stem of David, two olive trees are used as symbolism in Revelations, and the people of Israel are likened to an olive tree and its branches. And this is only a few of the many references to olive trees in the Bible.

Olive Trees were and still are highly valued for their oil, which can be retrieved from the olives themselves. Olive oil was used as medicine, for light, for making food, etc. It was a very valuable resource, and still is.

The very name of this garden, Gethsemane, means “Oil Press”, where oil is obtained from the olives-by squeezing and crushing them. Only by being crushed can this precious oil be obtained.

When the olives are first crushed, the liquid begins to leak out, but rather than coming out as the golden-green color that we are used to, it instead comes out as a dark red hue, looking eerily similar to blood.

Only later does the oil turn into its famous golden-green color.

Like the olives being crushed for their oil, Jesus Christ was being pressed and crushed by the weight of the Atonement in the garden, suffering through such incomprehensible anguish and agony that, according to Luke's account, He literally started sweating blood.

KJV Luke 22: 44: "And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

(Believe it or not, sweating blood is an actual medical condition called Hematridosis, which is caused by an extreme level of stress.)

Another important thing about olive oil's use during Christ's time: it was also used for ceremonial annointing, especially for sacred rituals performed in the temple, consecrating those like priests, kings and prophets. To be annointed means to be chosen or set apart for a specific role by God, often signified by smearing oil on the body or head, and what is the true meaning of Christ's title as the Messiah?

"The Annointed One."

And yet now, here in Gethsemane, Jesus has rather become the olive. He is the one being crushed, for the sins and pains of the world in the shadow of the Mount of Olives, His blood, like the sacred oil, to be used to annoint us, to not only save us but to make us into something greater than we could ever be by ourselves.

Also, very very interesting that Gethsemane is described as a garden. Only so many gardens are mentioned in the Bible, the most well known and one of the only other named gardens being the Garden of Eden, the paradise where humankind was first created and dwelt with God. Eden was a place of beauty, of innocence, and represented humanity's oneness with the Father.

But when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, that innocence was lost, and thus the first man and woman could no longer dwell in Eden, and were driven out. Because of transgression, humankind had fallen.

In Eden's garden, beneath a tree, mankind lost its innocence resulting in the Fall, and became seperated from its creator, but in another garden millennia later, beneath the olive trees, that same creator would begin the agonizing process required to save us and lift us, mankind, from the consequences of that fall, to bring us back to the true garden of the Lord.

In the place of the Oil Press Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be pressed and crushed in our stead, letting Himself to eventually be led to the cross, taking upon Himself the demands of justice so that we might not suffer a similar fate, if we so choose to follow Him.

That is what happened in Gethsemane.

[crazygirl6122]

Ephesians 4:31-32

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

[heartsings77]

[starleska]

my oh my!! it seems like Mr. Ring-A-Ding | Lux Imperator has thoroughly been enjoying all of the attention 😉💖

[banishedchildofeve]

Piotr Stachiewicz - “Regina Caeli”

[lesbiancharliepace]

the scene where sawyer says "i killed them, didn't i?" after sayid, sun, and jin are lost on the sub is sooooo fucking important. especially because he says it to JACK, of all people. jack who, at the beginning of the season, made an eerily similar call to sawyer. he made an executive decision to ACTIVATE a bomb (against sawyer's wishes) because he believed it would save them. in the process, juliet was killed. sawyer made an executive decision to NEUTRALIZE a bomb (against jack's wishes) because he believed it would save them. in the process, the kwons and sayid were killed. for jack to respond with "no, he killed them" is similarly important. it helps sawyer process both his guilt and his grief. he is no more to blame for the death of his friends than jack is for juliet's death. it unites them against their common enemy and once and for all places them on each other's side.

[maskednerd]

[loveerran]

Your Worth is Unchanging

I am someone who has had difficulty understanding the way we use 'worth' and 'worthiness' in the church, and has felt my worthiness before God or God's approval and Grace were somehow tied to my performance and obedience.

Today, Sister Tamara W. Runia spoke to me (and judging by the tears, many others) when she emphatically stated: "Your worth isn’t tied to obedience. Your worth is constant. It never changes. It was given to you by God, and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to change it."

I also love the way she said "heaven isn’t for people who have been perfect. It’s for people who have been forgiven, who choose Christ again and again" and "if you wait until you’re clean enough or perfect enough to go to the Savior, you’ve missed the whole point."

She also made the point that God forgives "without shaming us, comparing us to anyone else, or scolding us, because this is the same thing we were repenting of last week... Everyone is diving with their own degree of difficulty, and your Savior is the only one who truly knows the difficulty you are diving with."

But perhaps the most important thing I will remember from this talk - "If you could hear the Savior praying for you, what would He say?"

Love, Erran

[felidaefatigue]

We find no rest for our weary bones unless we cling to the word of grace.

[emilydickinsonsghost]

When you have zero interest in canon but the fanfiction is really good.

That’s how I feel about Christianity. Like, no hate, but it just isn’t for me. And yet I am a huge fan of the gay Bible fanfics known as Good Omens and Jesus Christ Superstar.

[crazygirl6122]

2 Timothy 2:22-26

"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."