What does it mean to forgive?
14 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you". (Matthew 6: 14) (NIV).
Forgiveness grows and develops when you meditate on God's word and encounter Him. Forgiving someone is not about considering what they have done and contemplating whether it deserves forgiveness. In the Lord's prayer, it says 'Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass/sin against us'. It can be difficult to forgive those who sin against us, for example, those who hurt you verbally, physically or emotionally; and the natural way, the worldly way, is to be angry or get revenge for these types of hurt done against you. But that is totally not correct. The Bible says, 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". (Romans 12: 19) (NIV).
The Bible says, 13 "Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others". (Colossians 3: 13) (NLT).
In the Bible, there are 3 reasons why you must forgive those who have hurt you, those who have done terrible things to you.
1. You have to forgive those who've hurt you because God's forgiven you. Jesus came to earth to forgive every wrong doing. He came from heaven to earth to pay the debts of our sins. He did this so that we wouldn't have to. God himself forgave us First! God forgave us and us as humans did not deserve to be forgiven for our wrong doings. Through Jesus God forgave us. That in itself is indescribable. 8 "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners". (Romans 5: 8) (NLT). God is Amazing! But why do we not forgive others who've done us wrong?
2. Forgive those who have done you wrong because it causes resentment and this can spiral out of control and can control you unknowingly. To resent someone means to feel bitter towards a person or to hold a grudge. Being resentful means that you are constantly replaying things from the past in your mind, things that have been done to you that you have not forgiven that person of, nor forgotten about. This keeps you stuck in the past and causes unhappiness, the feeling of gloomy and even ill-tempered. The Bible says, 7 "Do not be quick in spirit to be angry. For anger is in the heart of fools". (Ecclesiastes 7: 9) (NLV). Each time you allow resentment into your life, you're being controlled by it, allowing it to be okay to be resentful. The past is the past. Let it go!
3. You have to forgive people who have hurt you because you also need forgiveness from the Lord. The Bible says, 14 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6: 14) (NIV). If you are not willing to forgive then are you prepared to receive forgiveness from the Lord God. Think about this because it is imperative.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to not feel resentment against those who may have done me wrong. Help me to be slow to anger, to be patience, find and have peace, Lord. Lord, free us from brokenness; broken relationships, friendships, and hurt Lord. Help us to be free from bitterness, heal us and fill us with joy. Help us to forgive Lord. Help us to be free from the things that keep us from you, Jesus. In Jesus' name. Amen!
14 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you". (Matthew 6: 14) (NIV).
Forgiveness grows and develops when you meditate on God's word and encounter Him. Forgiving someone is not about considering what they have done and contemplating whether it deserves forgiveness. In the Lord's prayer, it says 'Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass/sin against us'. It can be difficult to forgive those who sin against us, for example, those who hurt you verbally, physically or emotionally; and the natural way, the worldly way, is to be angry or get revenge for these types of hurt done against you. But that is totally not correct. The Bible says, 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". (Romans 12: 19) (NIV).
The Bible says, 13 "Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others". (Colossians 3: 13) (NLT).In the Bible, there are 3 reasons why you must forgive those who have hurt you, those who have done terrible things to you.
1. You have to forgive those who've hurt you because God's forgiven you. Jesus came to earth to forgive every wrong doing. He came from heaven to earth to pay the debts of our sins. He did this so that we wouldn't have to. God himself forgave us First! God forgave us and us as humans did not deserve to be forgiven for our wrong doings. Through Jesus God forgave us. That in itself is indescribable. 8 "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners". (Romans 5: 8) (NLT). God is Amazing! But why do we not forgive others who've done us wrong?
2. Forgive those who have done you wrong because it causes resentment and this can spiral out of control and can control you unknowingly. To resent someone means to feel bitter towards a person or to hold a grudge. Being resentful means that you are constantly replaying things from the past in your mind, things that have been done to you that you have not forgiven that person of, nor forgotten about. This keeps you stuck in the past and causes unhappiness, the feeling of gloomy and even ill-tempered. The Bible says, 7 "Do not be quick in spirit to be angry. For anger is in the heart of fools". (Ecclesiastes 7: 9) (NLV). Each time you allow resentment into your life, you're being controlled by it, allowing it to be okay to be resentful. The past is the past. Let it go!
3. You have to forgive people who have hurt you because you also need forgiveness from the Lord. The Bible says, 14 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6: 14) (NIV). If you are not willing to forgive then are you prepared to receive forgiveness from the Lord God. Think about this because it is imperative.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to not feel resentment against those who may have done me wrong. Help me to be slow to anger, to be patience, find and have peace, Lord. Lord, free us from brokenness; broken relationships, friendships, and hurt Lord. Help us to be free from bitterness, heal us and fill us with joy. Help us to forgive Lord. Help us to be free from the things that keep us from you, Jesus. In Jesus' name. Amen!
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