Forgiveness~A Continual Act
"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11)."
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him (Luke 17:3-4)."
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13)."
Forgiveness is not natural for us to give. When someone hurts you deeply, you want to lash out at them and hurt them the way they have hurt you. You want them to pay for what they have done. Without the Holy Spirit, you will do just that, and the seed of bitterness will begin to grow within you. The bitterness will lead to resentment and eventually hatred. The enemy would love nothing more for you to fall into that trap. He also knows that if you don't forgive, your heart will grow hard and in doing so will give him a foothold in your life. Forgiveness is not saying that what the other person did was right or excusing their behavior, rather it is letting go of the offense and releasing it to the Father. In doing so, we free ourselves from all of the harmful consequences unforgiveness brings.
We must choose to forgive. You will never "feel" like forgiving someone. Once you make the choice to forgive, your feelings will eventually follow. It is a process~it does not happen overnight. I think back to a time in my life that was very painful. Someone I trusted hurt me deeply. I was angry. I felt betrayed. My heart was broken. Nothing in me (in my flesh) wanted to forgive this person, but I knew I needed to forgive. I remember praying and asking the Lord to help me. I then made the choice and said, 'Lord, I forgive them.' Nothing magical happened after I said those words, and to be honest, I still "felt" the same way I did before I said them. But over time, as I continued to keep my eyes on Jesus and let Him help me with that painful trial, eventually, I was no longer angry at that person and Jesus healed my heart. The bitterness was gone as well as my negative feelings towards that person. As a follower of Jesus, forgiveness is not an option for the believer, it is a command. "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 you see the correlation here? If we don't forgive others, our Father will not forgive us. Period. Jesus didn't say, forgive others when they ask for it, or just forgive certain people. No! He said if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him.
Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice, forgiving us of all our sin. When we look to the cross and realize just how much He loves us and has forgiven us for, we cannot help but give that same love and forgiveness away. The moment you became a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, He placed His Spirit within you. This same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, will give you the power to forgive, and not only forgive, but to do so freely. When you forgive, you let go of the anger, the hurt, the bitterness and the desire to get even. In return you receive peace that will flood your soul.
So what do you do when the other person isn't sorry for what they have done or they do not want (nor did they ask) for your forgiveness? You forgive them anyway. You cannot control how another will respond, but you can control you. As a follower of Christ, you are called to be a peacemaker. "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18)." God can restore, but He will not override mans free will. Sometimes relationships end.
Life is hard and filled with sorrow. People can be cruel, heartless and cold. But remember my friend that the Lord sees all and knows all. He sees your pain. He sees your tears. He knows your heartache. He is the lifter of your head, the healer of your soul and the one who makes you whole. It is in Him that you find your worth. One day~one glorious day, He will right all wrongs. In the meantime, it is up to each one of us to fix our eyes on Jesus and press on through adversity knowing that this life is not all there is. One day we will see Him face to face and be in His presence for ever Praise God!
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)."
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him (Luke 17:3-4)."
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13)."
Forgiveness is not natural for us to give. When someone hurts you deeply, you want to lash out at them and hurt them the way they have hurt you. You want them to pay for what they have done. Without the Holy Spirit, you will do just that, and the seed of bitterness will begin to grow within you. The bitterness will lead to resentment and eventually hatred. The enemy would love nothing more for you to fall into that trap. He also knows that if you don't forgive, your heart will grow hard and in doing so will give him a foothold in your life. Forgiveness is not saying that what the other person did was right or excusing their behavior, rather it is letting go of the offense and releasing it to the Father. In doing so, we free ourselves from all of the harmful consequences unforgiveness brings.
We must choose to forgive. You will never "feel" like forgiving someone. Once you make the choice to forgive, your feelings will eventually follow. It is a process~it does not happen overnight. I think back to a time in my life that was very painful. Someone I trusted hurt me deeply. I was angry. I felt betrayed. My heart was broken. Nothing in me (in my flesh) wanted to forgive this person, but I knew I needed to forgive. I remember praying and asking the Lord to help me. I then made the choice and said, 'Lord, I forgive them.' Nothing magical happened after I said those words, and to be honest, I still "felt" the same way I did before I said them. But over time, as I continued to keep my eyes on Jesus and let Him help me with that painful trial, eventually, I was no longer angry at that person and Jesus healed my heart. The bitterness was gone as well as my negative feelings towards that person. As a follower of Jesus, forgiveness is not an option for the believer, it is a command. "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 you see the correlation here? If we don't forgive others, our Father will not forgive us. Period. Jesus didn't say, forgive others when they ask for it, or just forgive certain people. No! He said if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him.
Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice, forgiving us of all our sin. When we look to the cross and realize just how much He loves us and has forgiven us for, we cannot help but give that same love and forgiveness away. The moment you became a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, He placed His Spirit within you. This same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, will give you the power to forgive, and not only forgive, but to do so freely. When you forgive, you let go of the anger, the hurt, the bitterness and the desire to get even. In return you receive peace that will flood your soul.
So what do you do when the other person isn't sorry for what they have done or they do not want (nor did they ask) for your forgiveness? You forgive them anyway. You cannot control how another will respond, but you can control you. As a follower of Christ, you are called to be a peacemaker. "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18)." God can restore, but He will not override mans free will. Sometimes relationships end.
Life is hard and filled with sorrow. People can be cruel, heartless and cold. But remember my friend that the Lord sees all and knows all. He sees your pain. He sees your tears. He knows your heartache. He is the lifter of your head, the healer of your soul and the one who makes you whole. It is in Him that you find your worth. One day~one glorious day, He will right all wrongs. In the meantime, it is up to each one of us to fix our eyes on Jesus and press on through adversity knowing that this life is not all there is. One day we will see Him face to face and be in His presence for ever Praise God!
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)."
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