I am always encouraging others to forgive. I haven’t mastered it fully yet. But through my teaching on forgiveness and my study on Grace and Mercy I have a Master’s Degree in Forgiveness.
You can choose to forgive. You just don’t want to.
Our pride and self preservation have us wanting to tear the page out of Matthew 6:14-15 when the Lord says, “If you don’t forgive others their treapasseses, I won’t forgive you of yours”. Wait Lord! Are you saying that you won’t forgive me if I don’t speak to that brother or sister again? Why do I have to be nice if they don’t play nice?
God doesn’t care about pride. He doesn’t care about revenge. God cares about restoration and fellowship.
Too often we choose to DISSOLVE rather than RESOLVE!
It is easy for us to cast off someone who we disagree with or who have hurt us. But it is more Glorious to resolve the issue and restore the relationship. What we don’t realize is that God says…to whom much is forgiven loves much, to whom little is forgiven loveth little.
I know God has forgiven me for so much. How can I hold, judge or evaluate what someone else has done. I have too much to thank Him for. The same way He restored, restores and is restoring me. I must do the same for and toward others.
This a lesson first well learned and secondly well taught. Thank you for the word.
Amen Pastor “O”!