Reading With the People of God #13 Nicene CreedSample

Focus of the Month: Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

A Battle of Wills

Reading through the book of Kings, I find myself hoping that the King(s) in this chapter will do right and follow after the Lord. Amaziah, King of Judah, the son of Joash, began his reign at the age of twenty-five. In the early days of his twenty-nine-year reign, there was hope that he would listen and follow the counsel of the Lord. He avenged the murder of his father by the Law written in the Book of Moses. In another instance, he listened to God’s counsel and, as a result, had a great victory against the Edomites in the Valley of Salt. However, Amaziah proved to be his father’s son and brought back from battle their gods and set them up, bowed down to them, and burned sacrifices to them. He did not remove the high places where the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense. The Lord sent a prophet to correct him, but Amaziah would not listen. This incited the anger of the Lord against him. At the peak of Amaziah’s pride and rebellion, he seeks to challenge Jehoahaz, King of Israel. This proves disastrous for Amaziah and Judah. Amaziah is captured along with hostages, and the gold and silver articles from the temple and the royal palace are taken as well.

Restoration and Forgiveness

In Matthew, we see the heart of our Heavenly Father. Throughout the Bible, God weaves His thread of restoration and forgiveness. Jesus instructs practical steps to restore a relationship and forgive each other. He places the responsibility on the one who was wronged or hurt. Go privately, and between the two of you, explain what he did. If he listens, your relationship will be restored. I believe that for this to have a successful outcome, it is with prayer and a humble heart. However, if the issue is not resolved, we are given the next steps. We all make mistakes, have been hurt, and have been the cause of hurt at one time or another. It is our nature to harbor resentment, which is unforgiveness.

Jesus follows with how many times we are to forgive. He uses the parable of the unmerciful servant to illustrate how we should and should not behave toward one another. Remember, our forgiveness was bought with the shed blood of Jesus. Since our sins were forgiven on the cross, who are we to withhold forgiveness from our brother?

* Primer contributed by Laurie Harry, Artist and member of Cornerstone Church of Chowchilla.