Praying About Crime in the Greater Montgomery Area

A person I know got victimized. Well, someone broke into their home and stole some "things". The person was caught and the victim decided to forgive them. Why, you ask? Because as the victim said; "This boy has far more going on in his heart than my possessions are worth. I need to forgive him and let him know so that he can know that somewhere out there, Christ will not only forgive him but make him whole. And...if he had killed me, I KNOW where I am going, he does not. I need to be able to SHOW him God's forgiveness." 

WOW....what a great disciple of Christ that person is. I wonder as we read the papers or watch the news tonight, if we saw each criminal as that person does...as a human being with DEEP ROOTED hurt. See, the "crime" is always a symptom of the heart. It is not fair or excusable what a person does, but as Christians, we need to SEE that person through GOD'S EYES instead of our own.

Jesus was pretty strong about forgiveness of others when you are wronged. Even when we see someone who has wronged someone else..........here are a few verses to ponder this week:

Mark 11:25
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. "

Luke 6:35-38;42
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." ... How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Pray for Montgomery as our public safety officers fight crime, for victims and for the perpetrators as well. Crime is a SYMPTOM of a LARGER heart issue. Pray for HEARTS to be changed in the Greater Montgomery area!