4-21-2018

Good Morning All,

             Jeremiah 31:34b; “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

        Have you ever been told, or said, “I’ll forgive you but I will never forget it!”  Or perhaps the phrase “You’ll have to earn my forgiveness!”  These are two very common phrases; phrases that the world will tell you are good plans to follow.  After all, if someone hurt you, you should remember it so it won’t happen again.  Secondly, everyone who has ever studied Economics knows that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”; everything comes at a cost and forgiveness isn’t much different.

   We hear this often when a person feels betrayed; whether by a spouse, a friend or a co-worker.  We feel the pain and it cuts like a knife and we want our pound of flesh for our revenge.  We often want the other person to “feel our pain.”  Yet as we see in our verse this is not the way that God forgives us.

    Scripture gives us the definition of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is just that: given.  It cannot be earned for that is either a fine or punishment of some type or a wage that is paid for a job done.  Forgiveness can never be bought or sold it can only be given.  So if we say to someone, “you need to earn my forgiveness”; we aren’t really forgiving them.  We are simply extracting a payment from them.  It is sad that many see forgiveness this way because they miss the huge benefit of forgiveness and that is the healing of a breach between two people.  That is why God forgives us.  He does it to heal the breach that we caused with our sin.  We could never pay that debt so God forgave it because of Jesus.

    The other thing is that the world tells you to never forget.  Forgiveness comes from the heart and is only true forgiveness if we let it go.  By remembering the breach; it remains in place.  If the “sinner” is not really forgiven or if the “sinned against” does not really forgive, there is not a healing that takes place.  The interesting thing about forgiveness is that it heals the “forgiver” as much as it does the “forgiven.”  When we cling to past pains or past injustices, it keeps festering in our heart and we never heal.  We need to let it go; let God take the pain from us and let the healing take place.  I have often listened to people who felt wronged so many years ago and now they look and sound sad and, often times, more hurt than the original wrong caused.  There is bitterness in their voice that never seems to leave and they seldom look happy. 

    This is part of the reason God tells us to forgive as He does.  It is the joyful reaction to our forgiveness by God and it is also a healthy cleansing of our heart that allows us to truly love one another.

    Dear Father, teach me to forgive as you forgive.  Give me the strength and wisdom to do your will. Help me to see the love that you desire to be shown to the world starts with the act of forgiveness.  Lead me to love.   In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret