“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph 4:32
The Lord had such a great idea when He designed forgiveness to be a one-way street! He did not make it dependent on the Offender in any way. I can forgive someone whether they ask for it, or whether they know I absolve them, or even whether they receive it or not. Forgiveness has nothing to do with other people, and everything to do with me alone. This is one dance that does not need a partner. We only need to give a command performance for our King. Rather than condemn, I can bless. Rather than harass in return, I can walk away. Rather than spreading gossip, I can speak kindly. We do not need to repay evil with evil (Romans 12:17). Instead we pardon the contempt another shows us by realizing who we are in Christ. We patiently bear with another’s meager attempts to relate to us, even if they injure us from their own wounded soul. Instead, we can pray that God will give us His words to speak the truth to them in love at the appropriate time (Ephesians 4: 15).
If I throw a party when my adversaries fall and if my heart turns summersaults when they stumble, I do not have the mind of Christ. It is only when I have compassion and mercy for my antagonist, in spite of and regardless of the way they treat me, that I show God’s unfailing love to them.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Help me to remember what Your enemies did to You; and that, in the end, You requested that Your Father would forgive them for their ignorance (Luke 23:34). Remind me that vengeance is Yours to repay (Hebrews 10:30). Thought for the Day:
Maturity makes a person slow to anger; overlooking a transgression is to his/her credit. - Proverbs 19:11
