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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Forgive because God forgave you

By Rick Warren “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV). We will all be hurt in this life. Many times we’ll be hurt intentionally by what people say about us or what people do to us. In fact, any time we read the word “forgiveness” we instantly call to mind certain heartaches, hurts, and problems from our past. The memories are still fresh because we’ve been hurt very deeply. Because of how deeply we’ve been hurt, it’s hard to consider forgiving the perpetrators. But the Bible gives us one very important reason we need to forgive. We forgive others because God forgave us. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (NIV). Ponder how much God has forgiven you, and it’ll cause you to be more forgiving of those who have hurt you. The opposite is also true. If you don’t feel forgiven, you’ll have a hard time forgiving others. If you typically have a tough time forgiving others, you may not truly feel forgiven yourself. Think of it like this: God has completely wiped your sin slate clean because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. All of the … [Read more...]

God answers prayers as miracle baby takes turn for the better

By Message Staff NEW ORLEANS – Newborn Elijah Kelly was on the brink on death just a week ago but the power of prayer has helped turn a seaming hopeless situation into one with promise. Kelly, who is the grandson of Gulf Coast Baptist Association Director of Missions Steven Kelly, was born June 6 and weighed four pounds, 13 ounces. Two days later, the doctors diagnosed him with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare condition that left the newborn with only three of four chambers of his heart working properly. Throughout the month, Kelly endured three open heart surgeries, a brain bleed, kidney dialysis and countless injections to help him in the fight of his young life at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. Kelly even stopped breathing at one point, but the physicians and nursing staff were able to quickly resuscitate him. Now, Kelly has taken a turn for the better. Still critical, Kelly recently began to move his fingers, lift his hand and open his eyes. The condition of his kidney, brain and heart also have improved – all an answer to prayer for the thousands who have joined his parents, Adam and Ari, and other family and friends in this remarkable journey of faith. “We have a miracle here,” Steven Kelly … [Read more...]