Good Morning All!!
Matthew
6:12; “and forgive
us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
“I might forgive them but I will never forget this.” I have heard this phrase too many times to
count. The person who says it may
actually think this is all there is or maybe paying lip service to the whole
idea of forgiveness. It is also possible
that the person is truly struggling with forgiveness. Forgiveness is the most difficult thing a
Christian is called upon to do. It
should be so easy; it should flow as a part of who we are. Yet most of us know how extremely difficult it
is.
The reason it is so difficult is because it goes against our sinful
nature. Our sinful nature looks to
power, to being in control, putting others under us, placing “me” at the
top. When this is our base thought
process, forgiveness is impossible.
Forgiveness comes from the heart; it comes from love, the sacrificial love
that Jesus poured out upon us through his all availing sacrifice on the cross.
One of the ministers in our area, when performing a wedding ceremony,
speaks about how, while professing to love, honor and cherish each other; this
person was also the one who would sin against you the most. While this seems somewhat unusual at wedding
it is the truth. It is also why many
marriages end in divorce or exist in emptiness.
The need to forgive and the unwillingness to forgive will cause walls to
be built up. These walls divide us and
keep us apart. These walls leave us lonely, afraid and empty. This is true in marriages, in families, in
friendships and even in our churches.
Failure to forgive builds walls and separates people.
Forgiveness breaks down the walls and heals relationships. Forgiveness heals the sinner and it heals the
one who was sinned against. Forgiveness
is letting go of the hate, the anger and the pain. It is letting go of the guilt, the fear and
the sorrow. But just like tearing down a
wall or the healing of a broken bone; it can take time and many tries to
forgive. This is why we need to see
forgiveness as a way of life and not as an event. True forgiveness rarely occurs in one shot;
it takes time just as the healing process takes time. So don’t think that it is a failure if it
takes a few tries to forgive; it can take some time to occur.
Yet as you go through the process, keep forgiving and keep telling the
one you forgive that you forgive them.
The devil will keep trying to rebuild the walls; he will try to force
distance and anger upon you. Grab hold
of God’s forgiveness freely given to you.
Look into your own heart and see the sins that your Father in heaven
forgives in your life. See the process
of healing as it restores you into God’s heavenly kingdom. See the love and the healing then follow this
pattern in your dealing with others. As
you go through life, God is continually forgiving you. Continue this process and forgive those who
sin against you as well.
Father,
in your great love you forgive me all my sins.
Lead me to forgive those around me.
Lead me to see that healing is better than suffering and love brings about peace and serenity. Be with those who struggle to forgive and to
allow healing. Guide them to see that
holding the pain only causes more sorrow.
Send you healing, Lord. In the
name of Jesus we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.