Jim Daly

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful forces in the world.

So, why is it so hard to do?

Because, while we want mercy for ourselves, we want others to be held accountable.

Jesus told a story about a servant who owed the king a substantial debt of 10,000 talents.  For reference, one talent was roughly equivalent to a year’s wages. A debt of 10,000 talents, then, meant the servant was hopelessly trapped in his miserable circumstances.

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Few things in life are as good as we think they are.

Believe it or not, there’s even a scientific term for that phenomenon called the Better-Than-Average Effect. In short, our tendency is to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.

We don’t sing as well as we think we do.

We don’t eat or exercise as healthy as we should.

We minimize our addictions.

We downplay our depression.

We believe that our marriages are healthier than they are.

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Once more, innocent children have become casualties in the ongoing cultural revolution.

The state of Oregon recently prohibited Jessica Bates, a mother of five, from becoming certified as a foster care parent.

Why?

Oregon’s Department of Human Services requires foster parents to “respect, accept and support the race, spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, disabilities, national origin, cultural identities, immigration status and socioeconomic status of a child or young adult in the care or custody of the Department.”

As a Christian, Jessica told state officials that she respects everyone, but that she believes “God gives us our gender/sex and it’s not something we get to choose.” In other words, she cannot in good conscience support any effort to try and change one’s biological sex.

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From growing up dirt poor to becoming reality television superstars, Phil and Kay Robertson, of A&E’s Duck Dynasty, have experienced more than 50 years of ups and downs together.

Their first years as a couple were marred by poverty and alcohol abuse so severe that, at one point, Miss Kay kicked Phil out of the house. Their future together looked bleak.

What transformed them and their relationship? According to Phil: repentance.

He says:

“We look at the word ‘repent’ as a bad thing.

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Yesterday at Focus on the Family, our staff came together for our Maundy Thursday chapel, a special time for reflecting on our Lord’s final hours before ascending Calvary to shed His blood on our behalf. Today, our offices are closed in honor of Good Friday.

Some of my non-Christian readers may not understand the meaningful symbolism ascribed to Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. They see Jesus as a wise prophet, a good man, or a great teacher in a long line of equals to be imitated as we would any other great person.

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