7-17-19

Good Morning All,

           Matthew 6:12; “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

    How do I forgive?  How do I forgive him/her for what they have done?  It hurts too much to forgive.  I might forgive them but I will never forget this.  He will pay dearly for that.  Do any of this sound familiar?  Forgive as you are forgiven; easier said than done.  It has always been fascinating to me that the central teaching of those who believe in the resurrection of Jesus; that is forgiveness of sins, is the single most difficult thing to do.  I struggle to forgive; I am not very good at it so I struggle every day.

    One of the things that makes forgiveness difficult is that we don’t define it very well.  Forgive him; fine, what exactly does that mean?  If you do not know what you are to do; how do you know if you did it or failed?    I like to use this simple definition from theologian Jay Adams.  “When a person forgives another, he is promising to do three things about the intended wrongdoing: not to use it against the wrongdoer in the future; not to talk about it to others; and not to dwell on it himself.” This gives us some concrete ideas to what forgiveness looks like.  If you keep reminding someone that you have forgiven them; you haven’t.  If you keep telling others how much you forgave someone else; you haven’t.  If you keep it festering inside; you haven’t forgiven them.

    A second way to know of forgiveness can be physical.  For me, if I feel my jaw clench up and get tight; I haven’t forgiven that person.  I know it is time to start over and we must do this often.  Sometimes, you must forgive that person every single day, maybe every time you see them.  Forgiveness is something that should be willing to do, but when it is hard, when it is an impediment to our walk with Christ; sometimes, you take it one day or even one hour at a time.

    So, when you experience this, repent and say a prayer to ask for your own forgiveness and then a prayer for the power to forgive.  Forgiveness is not something that comes naturally to sinful man; forgiveness requires the Spirit of God to act within you.  Forgiveness requires a strong and steady faith.  It is difficult and can be extremely difficult but forgiveness is essential.  It is designed by God to destroy the cycle of hatred, violence and oppression and replace this cycle with love, compassion and justice.

    So, ask God to forgive you and ask God to help you forgive others.  Seek to be part of God’s kingdom here on earth by loving your neighbor and letting go of anger and hatred.  Seek to serve God by speaking His words of peace and truth and by living His life of compassion and hope.  Forgive as you are forgiven.

Gracious Father, too often we hold onto hate and anger.  It makes us cold and bitter and there is no health in us.  Return us to your loving kingdom.  Make us to be stewards of your grace and your mercy.  Strengthen our faith that our desire to forgive may increase.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret