Good morning and welcome another Tuesday morning to Bali Baptist Church and to our thought for today. If you were watching the service from Bali on Sunday morning, you would have noticed that another quality that should be displayed in the life of the believer is that of forgiveness. Now that can be a quality that many of us struggle to display, but I was reminded of what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 31 and 32 It's what a Christian should be doing, forgiving those who hurt and offend him but we struggle with that. One of the greatest examples of Christian forgiveness has to be that of Gordon Wilson back in 1987 after the Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen. In an interview with the BBC, Gordon Wilson described his last conversation with his 20-year-old daughter, Mary, as they lay under the rubble from that explosion. She held my hand tightly and gripped me as hard as she could She said, Daddy, I love you very much. Those were her exact words to me, and those were the last words I ever heard her say. Mr. Wilson then said, but I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. She's in heaven, and we shall meet again. Of those who planted the bomb, he said, I will pray for these men tonight and every night. He went on to prove that he meant those words by his involvement in peace movements, seeking to build cross-community relationships in a skill and wider field. But if it's hard to forgive others, sometimes we find it even harder to forgive ourselves. We feel the Lord and we struggle. We struggle to forgive ourselves, we can't do it, and we're convinced that God won't forgive us either. If today you're in that situation, you're struggling with feelings of guilt, please remember that when God saved you, whatever number of years ago that may have been, he knew you were going to feel that. It came as no surprise to God. And he is more ready to forgive our feelings than sometimes we are to ask for that forgiveness. I want to give you two examples from scripture just to reinforce that forgiveness and that attitude of God. Last week I spoke of Jonah being sheltered while he was trying to run away from God instead of obeying Him. He was God's prophet but he rebelled against God and refused to serve and to go and do his bidding. But we saw last week how that God not only stopped him but preserved him and then gave him a second opportunity to go and warn the Assyrians of the judgment that was to come. And that resulted in one of the greatest revivals in history. Or what about Peter? After claiming he was ready to die with his Lord, he not only denied having anything to do with them, but did so with odes and curses. If anyone deserved to feel guilty, it was Peter. But I love the angel's message to the woman on that resurrection morning, as it's told in Mark chapter 16, verses 6 and 7. and entering into the sepulchre they saw a young man sitting on the right side clothed in a long white garment and they were affrighted and he saith unto them be not affrighted ye seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified he is risen he is not here behold the place where they laid him but go your way tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee there shall you see him as he said unto you Peter must have thought he was finished. He couldn't even call himself a disciple any longer. But the angel specifically uses his name to encourage him and says, tell the disciples and Peter. And then when Peter met the Lord in Galilee, he didn't receive a condemnation. Instead, he received that special commission from the Lord himself, feed my sheep. Scripture in both the Old and New Testament is full of a longing of God's heart to forgive if only we will turn to him in repentance. So today, if you're feeling guilty at some failure, bring it to the Lord and he will forgive. And if today you're still unsaved, then you too can know God's forgiveness. God is willing and eager to forgive you if only you will repent of your sin and ask for his mercy in salvation. And I trust that you will indeed do that today. Let's pray. Our God and Father, we come this morning and we thank you that you are a God who loves to forgive. You're a God of mercy. And so, Father, we come today confessing our feelings, confessing that we make so many mistakes, but we come again to ask that you will forgive us and help us to step out our right once more. Father, help us to display the qualities that a child of God should. Forgiveness, love, mercy, to encourage one another. And Lord, help us to start that today. Remember those of our fellowship today who mourn. We think of those again who have lost loved ones and bring them to you and ask that you will comfort their hearts today and in the days ahead. For those who are ill, Father, we bring them to you and ask that you will strengthen and sustain and that it would be your will to restore them to health and strength once more. And for all of us today, Father, help us to walk as we should, to walk in the footsteps of our Saviour, that others as they look on will see Christ in us. So Lord, we commit this day to you with all its issues and ask your blessing and your help in our Saviour's name.