Have you ever been
forgiven?
(Eph
4:32) Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Of all the things God
might ask of us, forgiving one another is probably the most
difficult. For many, granting forgiveness is not in our top ten
things we like to do. Why is that? Why do we hold onto grudges,
sometimes for years, even decades?
(Col
3:13) bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever
has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also
should you.
Maybe its a sense of
entitlement, they hurt me, now I'm going to hurt them, or wish them
to be likewise hurt. Revenge. I heard a fellow say once, “I'll
get even with you if its the last thing I ever do!”. Well, he did.
A few weeks after he got his “sweet” revenge, he died in a car
accident. Prophetic huh?
A commentator heard
recently on radio claimed Christians had as much if not more
difficulty forgiving others. That surprised me. We are taught that
forgiveness is a must if we want to enjoy fellowship with the Lord.
(Rom
12:19) Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the
wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL
REPAY," says the Lord.
By
not forgiving someone you become the owner of the hate, the anger,
and its effects on your body, mind and spirit over time. When you
forgive, all that nasty stuff gets released. It no longer eats you
alive. It no longer is a tool of Satan. Forgiveness carves out a
space for peace. Peace instead of anger, peace instead of hate.
(Mat
6:15) "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will
not forgive your transgressions.
Sometimes
we hurt others. Maybe it was on purpose, perhaps by accident. There
are times when we don't even realize that we have hurt another. When
we learn that we have, are we not sorrowful, regretting the incident?
Don't we long to feel whole again? Isn't it great when someone
forgives us? When we are released from our guilt, our shame our whole
attitude takes on a whole new latitude. Forgiveness heals.
How
many times would you say that the Lord, Our God has forgiven you over
the past six months? How about the past six years? Ten years? Your
lifetime? Imagine the sorry shape you would be in if Jesus was not
in the business of forgiveness?
Through
His death on the cross, we all have been forgiven. Maybe its your
time to forgive? Have you ever been forgiven?
(Luk
17:4) "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and
returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."
Its all written in the
book. Have you read your Bible today?
Comments
Post a Comment