Easter 2009 - A New Beginning
Some bible verses and quotes related to the Easter theme of ‘A New Beginning’ and Forgiveness.
A New Beginning – Jesus
‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.” (Romans 6:4)
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8)
“You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
(Psalm 18:28)
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9)
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)
“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:17)
“Long my imprisoned spirit lay…I woke; the dungeon flamed with light, my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee.” (Charles Wesley)
A New Beginning – Wesley Mission
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:9)
"Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be." (Marsha Petrie Sue)
“I have been blessed to see true miracles at Rehab. I have seen many men and women arrive with no hope – spiritually, mentally and physically broken. Hollow like an old tree stump. And I have seen these people turn their lives around. Hope is given to the hopeless. Strength to the weak. Faith to the faithless. And dignity to those that society often chooses to leave behind.” (Trenton, Wesley Rehabilitation Services)
The strength for a new beginning
Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:27)
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:1)
Forgiveness
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
(Luke 4:47)
“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?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22)
"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
“Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness or else forgiving another.” (Jean Paul Richter)
“Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” (C S Lewis)
“Forgiveness of sins is the very heart of Christianity, and yet it is a very dangerous thing to preach.” (Martin Luther)
Only the truly forgiven are truly forgiving. (C.S. Lewis)
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. (C.S. Lewis)
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. (Mohandas K. Gandhi)
Forgiveness creates a new beginning
“Not to forgive imprisons me in the past and locks out all potential for change.” (Philip Yancey)
“He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” (George Herbert)
“Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realising you were the prisoner.” (Max Lucado)
“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is the power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.” (Corrie Ten Boom)
“Forgiveness - underserved, unearned - can cut the cords and let the oppressive burden of guilt roll away. Forgiveness breaks the cycle of blame and loosens the stranglehold of guilt.” (Philip Yancey)
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