“There shall come forth a Rod from the Stem of Jesse and a Branch shall grow out of His roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of Knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord ... The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb ...” Isaiah 11:1–3,6.

‘The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb ...” these are two creatures one would not expect to dwell together. So, for a wolf to dwell with a lamb, this means there is reconciliation. Without the Gospel of God’s grace, the wolf cannot dwell with the lamb. There are some things that just don’t belong together. A son will never call his father’s murderer “Dear friend.” There are things that just don’t belong together; the wolf and the lamb, light and darkness, the lion and the deer.

The Gospel of God’s grace challenges and changes everything. To His power, nothing is impossible.

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:25–26).

Here, Jesus clearly linked faith to forgiveness. The reason forgiveness is so important is that relationship does not involve two perfect people. There is no such thing as a perfect person. Those perfect people do not exist on this planet earth.

People make mistakes — even if you are a Christian or a pastor. Our response to a person who makes a mistake can also be a mistake if we are not careful. Our concern must be twofold: not only what we do that is in error, but also how we respond. The reason is that you need to forgive because you need to be forgiven.

Galatians 6:1 says. “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” This Scripture is saying if you are spiritual, when someone falls, don’t rejoice; restore him

(To be continued)

For prayer and counselling call Prayer Lines: +234 (0) 803 414 7340, +234 (0) 807 676 7359. LOOKING at verse 6 which says,