Participants: John Bradshaw (Host), Dick Tibbits
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001225
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00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book, the Bible, still relevant in today's complex 00:19 world. 00:22 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 JB: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 00:38 Today, we're discussing the very important and very 00:43 biblical subject of forgiveness. 00:47 And I have a special guest with me today, his name is 00:49 Dick Tibbits. 00:50 He is a speaker, he is an author. 00:53 He's also the chief people officer for Florida Hospital. 00:56 And he's written a book called "Forgive to Live." 00:59 Dick, thank you so much for taking time today. 01:02 DT: It's good to be back again, thank you. 01:04 JB:his subject of forgiveness, such an 01:06 important subject. 01:07 Such a biblical subject. 01:09 In fact, let's dive into this by going straight to the 01:12 Lord's prayer. 01:13 Jesus taught us to say, "Forgive us our debts as we 01:19 forgive our debtors." 01:19 That's interesting, isn't it? 01:21 DT: Yes, in fact, at the end of the prayer there's even a 01:23 commentary that clarifies that and said, "And if you do 01:26 not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not 01:29 forgive you." 01:30 Now, that is scary to think that there's something I 01:33 could fail to do, and all of a sudden God's going to 01:36 withhold his forgiveness from me? 01:38 JB:t seems to me that as Jesus was saying this, he was 01:41 very, very clear. 01:41 He was clear. 01:43 If you don't forgive others, you can't really expect God 01:47 to forgive you. 01:48 It doesn't seem to me like Jesus is saying, "Now, 01:51 there's a way for you to earn forgiveness. 01:53 So clearly what he's doing is he's linking this attitude 01:57 that we might have with others and saying that this 02:00 attitude we do or don't have somehow perhaps makes it 02:04 impossible for us to receive the grace and goodness of 02:07 God. 02:08 DT: Yeah, because God's forgiving me gives me a 02:10 future benefit in eternal life. 02:13 My forgiving someone else gives me a benefit today. 02:16 Because today when I practice forgiveness I can be released 02:20 from the bitterness that has kept me entrapped for 02:23 decades. 02:25 So it's really what God is saying is not, I won't do 02:28 this if you don't do that. 02:30 What he's saying is, I can't give you the blessing that 02:33 forgiveness entails unless you're willing to receive 02:36 that by forgiving others. 02:39 JB:orgiveness is good for a person. 02:41 DT: Yes. 02:42 JB:n all kinds of levels: interpersonally, emotionally, 02:44 physically even. 02:45 Even good for you physically to forgive. 02:47 That's remarkable. 02:48 DT: Yep, and we've discussed that, how forgiveness can 02:51 change my blood pressure and improve it, how forgiveness 02:54 can change my outlook on life so that I move from 02:57 bitterness to better. 02:58 Which is a whole good way to do life. 03:02 I really feel for people who have experienced pain who 03:04 don't know how to get out of bitterness. 03:07 That's why I teach forgiveness, to give them a 03:09 way out. 03:10 JB:ell, let's do some teaching right now. 03:12 We've established, even today, and last time we met 03:14 together, that forgiveness is good for a person on all 03:17 those levels. 03:19 It's biblical, Jesus mandated it, he said, it was Peter, 03:23 no, not seven times. 03:25 Seventy times seven. 03:26 We talked in the past about how forgiveness, really it's 03:29 kind of a process. 03:30 You might be able to forgive something right away, someone 03:33 right away, they burned the toast, you can get over that 03:35 pretty quickly. 03:36 If someone causes some terrible, grievous injury, 03:39 you know, that's going to be harder to work through. 03:41 Let's talk about the how of forgiveness. 03:46 I don't know that there would be very many people, there'd 03:48 be some, but there will not be very many people who would 03:50 say, "I do not want to forgive." 03:54 I think the vast majority of people would say, "I want to 03:56 forgive." 03:57 But some things are easier said than done. 04:00 Help me to understand how to forgive. 04:04 DT: Well, the first step is the most obviously but it's 04:07 the most important, and that is, I must choose 04:10 forgiveness. 04:12 You see, when something happens to me, I frequently 04:15 react. 04:17 Psychologists call it the famous stimulus response. 04:20 Stimulus, something occurs, response, I react. 04:24 And in that thing, so somebody hurts me or somebody 04:27 does something mean to me, I react in pain and suffering. 04:29 Forgiveness adds to that by saying, "I have a choice to 04:34 make." 04:36 And this is critically important, because we now 04:38 know it's choice, not circumstance, that determines 04:42 our life. 04:44 It's not the things that happen to me that determine 04:46 what my life will become. 04:48 It's the choices that I make. 04:49 JB:t's how you respond to those stimuli. 04:51 DT: Yeah. 04:53 And so, I teach people to almost become Shakespearian 04:57 in this. 04:58 When something happens to you, the question to ask 05:00 yourself is this: to forgive or not to forgive, that is 05:05 the question. 05:06 JB:et me ask you a question about that. 05:08 When do you ask that question? 05:10 Um, someone backs into my car in the parking lot, my lovely 05:14 vehicle, I just had it painted, causes terrible 05:16 damage. 05:18 When do I want to be asking myself about forgiveness? 05:21 Right then? 05:22 Or after we've called insurance? 05:24 DT: You want to start the forgiveness process as soon 05:27 as it comes to your mind that you can forgive. 05:31 You see, most of us do things without thinking about it. 05:34 It's called consciousness and unconsciousness. 05:38 And John, I'd like to invite you to do something that will 05:41 help us remember this, and I want to invite our viewing 05:43 audience to do the same. 05:45 I simply want us to clasp our hands together like that, if 05:48 you could do that, and just stop, and ask and look, which 05:52 thumb is on the top? 05:53 Is it the left thumb or the right thumb? 05:56 And let me tell you the secret to this. 05:59 Half of the world will have their left thumb on top and 06:02 half of the world will have their right thumb on top. 06:05 It has nothing to do with whether you're left-handed or 06:08 right-handed. 06:09 It simply has to do with how you did it the first time, 06:11 and then how you do it every time. 06:14 So John, when you put your hands together, did you 06:16 think, which thumb will I put on top? 06:18 JB:o, I did not. 06:19 And I tell you what, every time I do it, same thing. 06:21 DT: Same thing. 06:22 JB:t doesn't feel right to have my left thumb on top. 06:24 It's right on top every single time. 06:26 DT: When you do it backwards, it feels very awkward. 06:28 JB:o, no, if I did that I would change. 06:30 I would say, that's just not right. 06:32 DT: And yet half the world does it that way and thinks 06:34 the way you do it is awkward. 06:35 My point being that when we did this, we didn't think, 06:38 that was an unconscious action. 06:41 When we've been hurt, we are going to unconsciously react. 06:44 So when somebody bangs into my car, I might not think of 06:48 forgiveness right away. 06:50 But when the thought comes in, and we can say a prayer 06:53 that, God, when I have been hurt, please remind me to 06:56 forgive, God will bring the thought of forgiveness. 06:59 When the thought comes, that's when I choose to 07:02 forgive. 07:04 JB:ou spoke a moment ago and said, you referenced the 07:07 forgiveness process. 07:09 You know, I think one of the difficult things about 07:13 forgiveness is people have always misconceived ideas or 07:15 misperceptions of about what forgiveness is. 07:18 Forgiveness doesn't happen in an instant. 07:21 Forgive and forget-last time we spoke we talked about 07:24 forgive and forget. 07:25 That's not even reality. 07:27 Um, so how does this forgiveness process work? 07:31 DT: Easy. 07:33 I choose to forgive, and I have that sense that I've 07:36 made that decision. 07:37 JB:ou backed into my car, I said, I really need to 07:40 forgive that guy, and I'm going to do this. 07:42 DT: Yep. 07:43 However, two hours later or the next day, I have to call 07:46 my insurance company, and all of a sudden I'm aware, wow, 07:48 this came, this took money out of my pocket. 07:50 I thought I was covered, but I have a deductible. 07:52 This person just cost me $500, or whatever. 07:54 And I'm upset again. 07:56 JB:'m mad now. 07:57 DT: I'm mad again. 07:58 Ah, choose to forgive again. 08:01 And so I forgive again and I'm fine, until a couple 08:04 days, I go to the body shop, and they talk about, you 08:08 know, matching the paint, and they do it, and it doesn't 08:10 quite look as perfect as it did new. 08:12 And so now I've got a car that's always going to have 08:14 this defect. 08:16 And it upsets me again. 08:17 JB:nd as long as I've got that car, every time I look 08:19 at it... 08:20 DT: I'm going to remember. 08:21 However, every time I can feel the upsetness coming, 08:25 the hurt or the anger rising, I choose to forgive again. 08:28 And that's why I think Christ's advice was, I tell 08:34 you not to forgive seven times. 08:37 I wish I could tell you to forgive once or twice and 08:39 it's over. 08:40 Some things it is over. 08:41 It is that easy. 08:43 But there are other things that it'll be forgiveness and 08:46 forgiveness. 08:48 So let me offer you this assistance. 08:50 When I forgive, it can be discouraging because I just 08:53 forgave yesterday and I forgave the day before, and 08:55 it keeps coming back. 08:56 Nothing's getting better. 08:57 Does forgiveness work? 08:59 What I tell people is there's two things that will begin to 09:03 occur each time you forgive. 09:05 One is the intensity will become less and less. 09:10 It still might be upsetting but it won't be as upsetting. 09:13 Every time I reduce that intensity, I'm benefiting 09:15 from the gift of forgiveness. 09:18 And the second thing that'll change is frequency. 09:20 Yeah, I'll remember it again. 09:22 But I was remembering it every hour, now I'm only 09:24 remembering it every day, and a time will come when I'll 09:27 only recall it every month, and then maybe once or twice 09:30 a year, and then maybe, maybe I'll remember it and maybe I 09:33 won't. 09:34 Intensity and frequency are the indicators of the 09:38 effectiveness of forgiveness. 09:40 JB:n your book "Forgive to Live," you write about 09:43 something that is a key component in practicing 09:48 forgiveness. 09:50 That's something called reframing. 09:52 We're going to talk about that in just a moment. 09:54 Reframing. 09:55 You will not want to miss this. 09:58 I'll be right back. 10:01 >: In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says, "It is written, man 10:05 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 10:08 proceeds from the mouth of God." 10:11 "Every Word" is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 10:13 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 10:16 especially for busy people like you. 10:19 Look for "Every Word" on selected networks or watch it 10:22 online every day on our website: itiswritten.com. 10:26 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 10:29 Watch "Every Word;" you'll be glad you did. 10:35 JB: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 10:37 My guest today, Dick Tibbits, the author of "Forgive to 10:40 Live" and the chief people officer at Florida Hospital. 10:43 Dick, in your book "Forgive to Live," you talk about 10:45 something that's a key component in the process of 10:48 forgiveness, and that's something you call reframing. 10:51 Explain that to me. 10:54 DT: Well, reframing is taking an event and seeing it from a 10:59 different perspective. 11:01 We all view life from our frame of reference, depending 11:05 on our background, our history. 11:07 So reframing is taking that frame of reference that I'm 11:10 used to doing things as and looking at them differently. 11:15 Good illustration, when you go to the art shop and you 11:18 put a frame around a picture. 11:20 I can bring the frame in close and get just the 11:22 portrait. 11:23 Or I can expand the frame and get a family picture. 11:27 What I see, what I choose to see in my frame is how I see 11:30 life. 11:32 JB:et's see if we can work this with a few concrete 11:35 examples. 11:36 I mentioned before, you backed into my car. 11:38 Okay, you backed into my car and I'm madder than a wet hen 11:40 because you backed into my car. 11:42 Maybe if I pulled the frame out a little bit I would see, 11:45 what? 11:47 DT: Part of it is you could see, maybe, a circumstance in 11:49 my life. 11:51 I may have just gotten a phone call that my mother was 11:55 in critical condition, and all I can think about is what 11:58 do I say to her, and what do I need to say, is she going 12:00 to be alive? 12:01 And I'm so distracted with that thought as I normally 12:04 would carefully drive. 12:05 And so while I'm thinking about that, you stop, I 12:09 didn't see it, my reaction is delayed, and I hit you. 12:12 Now, I still hit you, and it wasn't your fault and you 12:14 still deserve the right to collect from my insurance. 12:18 And none of that changes. 12:20 But rather than you seeing me as a stupid, what were you 12:22 thinking, what were you doing, you now see me as 12:24 maybe something you can understand yourself. 12:27 JB:omeone is shot dead, there's a grieving family. 12:34 Let's see if we can pull the frame back. 12:38 Um, dead loved one, mad man with a gun. 12:42 But perhaps, perhaps the guy was high on drugs, wasn't in 12:47 control of his capacities. 12:50 Then you could talk about perhaps his upbringing and 12:53 some of the other unfortunate circumstances of his life. 12:55 Would that be reframing? 12:57 DT: That would be reframing. 12:58 And part of reframing is how large we make a frame. 13:01 JB:et me ask you a question. 13:03 Because I hear someone who's watching us saying, you're 13:06 letting the guy off the hook. 13:08 Am I letting the guy off the hook by reframing? 13:10 Well, the poor dear, he had a drug problem and he didn't 13:13 have a daddy, and poor fellow. 13:16 Is that what I'm doing? 13:17 DT: No. 13:18 A couple of things. 13:19 Number one, the facts are the facts. 13:21 Reframing doesn't change the facts. 13:22 Number two, every action has consequences. 13:25 And so reframing doesn't change the consequences to an 13:27 act. 13:29 The person may need to serve time in jail to reflect upon 13:32 what they did, so they don't do it again with the 13:34 thoughtlessness that they might have done that time. 13:37 But the other thing reframing does is, I live a world of 13:40 sin. 13:41 I live in a world where evil happens, where hurt happens. 13:43 I cannot live in a protected world where nothing bad 13:47 happens to me. 13:49 You know, bad things happen to good people. 13:52 And so I need to have a perspective that says, you 13:55 know, at some point it's in God's hands. 13:58 God has a view of the world different than mine. 14:00 And if I can turn it over to God, then I'm not stuck with 14:03 all the difficulties and trials of this world, but I 14:07 share it. 14:09 It's almost like the yoke. 14:10 God takes some of my burden and shares it with me because 14:12 I'm bringing him into my world. 14:16 JB:o reframing helps me to step back a little bit, look 14:18 at the big picture, and then I'm going to suggest what it 14:23 enables me to do is to perhaps more easily choose 14:29 the forgiveness option, rather than seeing someone as 14:32 a tyrant or a moron or an idiot or whatever; I'm now 14:35 seeing that person who, like me, is subject to various 14:38 dynamics in his or her life and maybe was under stress, 14:44 strain, reaction, whatever. 14:45 DT: Exactly. 14:46 In fact, what I tell people is that reframing is really 14:50 seeing the person in a more holistic view. 14:54 When I'm upset at someone, I notice all of your bad 14:57 points. 14:59 I've experienced this when I get into an argument with a 15:03 friend. 15:04 They bring back all the things they can think of that 15:06 I've done wrong. 15:07 And when someone's hurt us, we tend to make them all bad. 15:09 Well, I got to tell you, there is no one all good, and 15:12 there is no one all bad. 15:13 Reframing is bringing the good and the bad. 15:15 Because if I don't, I get so locked into all the terrible 15:18 things they do, is that's all I see of the person. 15:20 And you see that. 15:21 Best friends, and something happens, and all of a sudden 15:24 that best friend becomes my worst enemy. 15:27 Before I saw their good and the bad, and now I only see 15:29 their bad and I don't want anything to do with them. 15:31 You know, I'm thankful, John, that God sees the good in me 15:36 and not just the bad. 15:37 Because if he didn't, we'd be in a terrible predicament. 15:41 JB:eah, we sure would, wouldn't we? 15:44 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive 15:48 us our sins. 15:51 And again back to the Lord's prayer, forgive us our debts 15:54 as we forgive our debtors. 15:57 This really isn't up for grabs, is it? 16:00 This is not optional, it's a must. 16:03 DT: It is a must. 16:04 Because when I'm angry, I'm blinded. 16:06 You've heard the expression, "Love is blind"? 16:08 I mean, I really got in touch with that when my daughter 16:11 had her first boyfriend, and I go, what are you thinking! 16:13 But when you're in love with someone, what's all you see 16:14 in that person? 16:15 JB:eah, all the good, wonderful things. 16:17 DT: All the good. 16:18 And you don't see the bad. 16:19 Well, I'm going to tell you, anger is equally as blind. 16:21 Because when I'm angry at someone, I only see their 16:23 bad, I don't see their good. 16:26 And that's why we cannot relate to the world or even 16:29 another individual out of anger, because we will 16:31 distort our picture. 16:33 That's why I say, forgiveness is reframing. 16:36 It's getting the picture more accurate, more complete. 16:39 JB:o you think that forgiveness helps us to have 16:42 a more complete picture of who God is? 16:44 DT: Oh, absolutely. 16:46 It, well, first of all, my forgiving others and 16:50 understanding how difficult that is helps me not to take 16:53 God's forgiveness for granted. 16:56 He went to Calvary so that I could be forgiven. 16:58 I need to recognize that God struggled with that 17:01 forgiveness. 17:03 "If it be possible, let this cup..." 17:07 But he chose, he stayed with his choice because he knew 17:10 that the alternative to forgiveness is destruction. 17:15 JB:o it's okay if someone says, I really want to 17:22 forgive X, but I find it so difficult? 17:25 It's okay? 17:26 DT: In fact, not okay, that's reality. 17:28 If it's not difficult, I tell people, it's not forgiveness. 17:31 It's denial. 17:32 To quickly forgive someone like it didn't happen, that's 17:35 just denial. 17:36 Forgiveness deals right head on with the struggle. 17:39 So when I forgive someone, it doesn't mean I have to smile 17:42 and say, the world is wonderful. 17:45 I can forgive you and yet tell you, John, that what you 17:47 did hurt me deeply. 17:49 And I'm going to have to work to get over this pain, I'm 17:51 going to work to get over it, but I want you to know, I'm 17:54 not going to blame you. 17:55 I'm not going to come to the place where I believe that my 17:59 life is your fault. 18:00 I'm going to seek forgiveness so that I can live my life. 18:03 And I want you to know that. 18:04 JB:orgiveness is such a powerful thing. 18:07 Jesus encouraged us to forgive others; every day we 18:09 receive forgiveness from the God of heaven. 18:12 More on forgiveness with Dick Tibbits in just a moment. 18:17 JB: It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the 18:18 Gospel around the world. 18:20 To discover more about It Is Written, I invite you to 18:22 visit our website, itiswritten.com, and 18:25 throughout the dozens of pages that describe what we 18:27 do and how we do it, let's get to know each other 18:30 better. 18:31 Visit our website, itiswritten.com, today. 18:34 JB: Today on It Is Written, how to forgive. 18:40 Thanks so much for being with me today. 18:42 I'm with Dick Tibbits, chief people officer at Florida 18:44 Hospital and the author of "Forgive to Live." 18:48 The benefits of forgiveness, Dick. 18:52 What are they and how do we realize them? 18:54 DT: Well, that's the whole crux. 18:57 I forgive because it makes my life better. 18:59 I tell people, you can either complain and blame or you can 19:03 forgive and live. 19:04 Because forgiveness, once it sets me free from the control 19:07 of the past, then invites me to say, where do I want my 19:11 life to go? 19:13 What goals do I want to set for my life, what do I want 19:15 to become? 19:16 Or, from a spiritual perspective, what does God 19:19 want me to be, and how do I get there? 19:22 So it releases me from the past to give me an open 19:25 playing field for where my life can go. 19:27 JB:et me jump in on that. 19:28 That's reality, there are people who aren't realizing 19:30 what they should be realizing in their life because of 19:32 unforgiveness? 19:32 DT: Yes. 19:34 They're trapped. 19:35 And when you live in the past, by repeating that story 19:37 and story and story, over and over again, then your life 19:40 repeats itself. 19:41 So a year from now I can be in the same place I am today 19:43 because I haven't broken that chain, I haven't released 19:48 myself. 19:49 And forgiveness is the way to freedom. 19:52 It is the way to peace. 19:54 JB:hat would you say to somebody watching us today, 19:56 and they're saying, yeah, but I'm dealing with like a 19:59 really, really big thing. 20:00 This isn't you backing into my car. 20:05 This is my child is disabled because of someone's 20:09 negligence, or whatever. 20:12 This is big stuff. 20:14 What would you say to that person struggling with a 20:16 forgiveness issue on a subject like that? 20:18 DT: Well, I can share from my own experience, having, um, 20:21 well, in fact, I went to work one day and my boss called me 20:27 in, and I thought, what's this about? 20:30 And I must admit, I had that little adolescent feeling, 20:32 you know, when the principal calls you, I must have done 20:35 something wrong. 20:36 JB: I'm familiar with that. 20:37 DT: Yes. 20:38 But I didn't know what I could have done wrong, and so 20:40 I went in, and my boss didn't look me in the eye, and had a 20:43 sheet of paper on the desk, and read to me a script that 20:46 went something like this: As a result of the reengineering 20:50 of this organization, we have eliminated some positions, 20:54 and your position is no longer a part of this 20:56 company. 20:57 You will pick up your final paycheck today. 20:59 Thank you for your service. 21:01 Good day. 21:02 And that was it. 21:04 Well, I walked out of there devastated. 21:07 My world was turned upside down. 21:09 Now, I know there are different events that turn 21:12 different people's worlds upside down. 21:14 And I know that one of the blessings of life is, no 21:17 matter how much you suffer, you can always find someone 21:19 suffering more than you and be thankful that by the grace 21:22 of God. 21:23 But for me, that turned my world upside down. 21:26 My life and my work were so intertwined; I loved my work, 21:31 and now I couldn't come back to work the next day. 21:34 So I remember going home that evening and having to tell my 21:37 wife, who had just quit her job to start her schooling, 21:41 and my daughter who was just going away to college, that 21:44 our world had changed. 21:46 What was devastating about that is how it gripped me. 21:49 You know, you expect that in a week or so I'd start 21:51 applying for jobs and just move on. 21:54 But I couldn't move on, I was frozen, I was angry, I was 21:58 bitter, I felt betrayed. 22:00 These were not only my bosses, they were my friends. 22:03 And they just threw me away. 22:05 And I couldn't get past that. 22:08 My health began to suffer, my blood pressure went up, I was 22:11 putting on weight, I wasn't exercising, I wasn't eating 22:13 properly. 22:14 My mood had changed. 22:15 I was always a very optimistic, cheerful person, 22:18 and now I was withdrawn and bitter and didn't want to 22:21 talk to people. 22:22 My spiritual nature had changed. 22:25 I struggled to go to church because I didn't know how to 22:28 face people. 22:29 I was a failure, and how could I preach the gospel 22:31 when I was failing. 22:32 And so my whole world spiraled down. 22:37 And I had people tell me, Dick, get over it. 22:40 Move beyond. 22:41 I didn't know what to do. 22:43 I was experiencing anger and the dark side of anger, which 22:49 was depression. 22:50 And I was out of control until finally a friend of 22:54 mine came to me and said, "Have you tried forgiveness?" 22:57 And I thought, I went to seminary, I studied 23:01 forgiveness. 23:03 Why didn't I think of that? 23:04 But you know, that changed my life, and today I'm doing a 23:09 job I love, my family is together, I have a life that 23:13 I didn't think I could live because forgiveness released 23:18 me from that bitterness, so I could find a better life. 23:23 JB: This subject of forgiveness, it's central to 23:25 the gospel, isn't it? 23:26 DT: It is absolutely central. 23:28 It is Genesis to Revelation. 23:31 It is what changes our lives. 23:33 It is the gift that God has given to us, to forgive one 23:38 another and to receive God's forgiveness. 23:41 JB:ick, in South Africa a number of years ago, there 23:44 was this remarkable Truth and Reconciliation Commission to 23:48 help South Africa get from apartheid to the 23:52 post-apartheid era in a somewhat healthy fashion. 23:56 And South African President Nelson Mandela had some 23:59 remarkable things to say about forgiveness. 24:02 DT: Yeah, we've been talking about forgiveness at an 24:04 individual level, but here we have it at a national level. 24:07 You see, Nelson Mandela knew that over the years all the 24:11 suppression that took place, if that was released all at 24:14 once, all of that anger and hurt and bitterness would 24:17 come crashing into the streets with looting and 24:20 killing even. 24:21 And so he knew that if this transition was to make the 24:24 government stronger, that forgiveness would be 24:27 necessary to deal with all of that hurt and anger. 24:31 In fact, his close friend, Bishop Desmond Tutu, said 24:34 this: "Without forgiveness there is no future." 24:39 JB:f that was true for South Africa, it's certainly 24:42 true for me and you, anybody watching today. 24:44 DT: Absolutely. 24:45 JB:ithout forgiveness there's really no future, is 24:47 there? 24:48 DT: There is no future, there's only reliving the 24:50 past. 24:51 JB: just can't thank you enough, Dick, for taking the 24:53 time to join me today. 24:54 And I know that many, many people watching today are 25:00 going to have their lives transformed because they've 25:03 taken what you've put together, what the Lord led 25:06 you to, they're going to apply it in their own lives, 25:08 and they're going to be free and forgiving and forgiven. 25:11 DT: It'll change your life. 25:12 Forgiveness is the one thing that changes everything. 25:15 JB:men. 25:17 Let's pray together, can we do that? 25:20 DT: Let's do that. 25:20 JB:ather in heaven, I thank you so much that you are a 25:23 God who forgives. 25:25 We thank you the Bible tells us, assures us that we can 25:27 come to you with all of our mess and baggage and all the 25:32 stuff, and know that you'll forgive us and you'll forgive 25:35 us freely. 25:36 I pray, help us to be forgiving people and to 25:41 experience the blessings that flow when forgiveness takes 25:45 place in our lives I thank you, Lord, for this time, 25:49 knowing that you will bless greatly as a result of it. 25:53 And we pray together in Jesus' name, Amen. 25:55 DT: Amen. 26:24 [Music] JB: Perhaps our program today has touched 26:27 your heart and impressed you with a personal need for 26:29 deeper Bible study. 26:30 If you desire to listen God and follow where He leads, 26:33 we've got a wonderful resource that can help you to 26:36 do that in a systematic way: the Discover Bible Guides. 26:40 These study guides will take you through the essential 26:42 truths taught in Scripture. 26:44 They give you the big picture, showing how it all 26:46 fits together. 26:48 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to 26:50 becoming grounded in the Word of God, and to see how Jesus 26:53 Christ relates to all the area of our lives. 26:57 Please call or write us, and the Discover Bible Guides 27:00 will be on their way to you. 27:02 If you live in North America, we'll mail these Bible guides 27:05 free of charge. 27:06 Or for easier and immediate access from anywhere around 27:09 the world, you can get these wonderful Bible lessons on 27:13 our website: itiswritten.com. 27:15 Request the Discover Bible Guides by calling our 27:19 toll-free number, 1-800-253-3000. 27:21 Call right now and tell us the name of today's free 27:26 offer, the Discover Bible Guides. 27:28 You can also request today's offer by writing to It Is 27:31 Written, Box 0, Thousand Oaks, California, 91359. 27:37 Thank you for your letters and for your continued 27:39 support. 27:41 Our toll-free number is 1-800-253-3000, and our web 27:45 address is itiswritten.com. 27:49 JB: Friend, until next time, I'd like you to remember 27:51 this. 27:52 The Bible says, "It is written, man shall not live 27:54 by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the 27:57 mouth of God." |
Revised 2015-02-06