Here's to Tuesday and a big cup of Door County Chocolate Cherry Coffee. Let's get right to part three of "We Need To Forgive". Today we are all about the business of learning.
When it comes to forgiving others we often have a desire for revenge. This is not a choice that God gives to us. When we even ponder revenge we are making us into our own personal god, implementing the punishment of others. God has a definite no here to follow.
Romans 12:19New International Version (NIV)
19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord.
Forgiving others may seem to be a choice, and in one sense it is a choice, but God has been very clear about forgiveness. He has given us specific direction in many Scriptures, all of which can be summed up in just one word -- forgive! God's Word says, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" Mark 11:25. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" Luke 6:37
God is saying that it is in our own best interest to forgive! He is not talking about what is in the best interest of the person who needs to be forgiven. We are the ones who God is trying to protect. We are the ones who receive the most benefit from forgiveness, not the other person. A spirit of unforgiveness complicates and compromises our daily walk with God. Our walk suffers and at times is non existent. Forgiving others releases us from anger and allows us to receive the healing and peace we need. The whole reason God has given us specific direction is because He does not want anything to stand between us and Him. God's love for us is beyond our imagination. Forgiving others keeps us from the consequences of living out of an unforgiving heart. This is a sin, yet we neglect to see our inability to forgive as a sin.
Forgiving others does not carry with it a single decision that we need to meditate on. God has not graded one sin as being worse to Him than another and He has not graded one sin committed against us as warranting forgiveness and another not. For example, God is not saying, "If a person lies to you or steals from you, you should forgive him, but if they abuse you or harm your child, you can hold them in unforgiveness." He is saying to forgive everyone, always, and do it immediately. When we forgive ,we unlock the chains that are wrapped around our heart and our heart starts to beat again for others. Our heart beats best when it beats for God.
May God bless, your day and let forgiving others be a habit you learn.
Marty
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