“Even if that person wrongs
you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must
forgive.” – Luke 17:4
People use all sorts of crutches to endure their times of loneliness and despair, which they feel deep within their soul. They use alcohol, drugs, relationships, shopping, food, money, gambling, codependency, internet, breaking the law, pornography, video games, etc. to mask their pain. They live in denial and make excuses for their behavior. The pain of past encounters usually drives people to make poor choices. They use these alternatives to mask their pain and to deal with life.
These crutches lead to erratic behavior, impaired thinking and judgment, slower reaction times, loss of control, moodiness, slurred speech, double vision, impaired memory, depression, infertility, premature babies, birth defects, increased heart rate, potential cardiac problems, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, asthma, defective immune system, reduced resistance levels to disease and illness and a host of other maladies. They are not a very good way to cope with life’s issues.
There is only one way to fill the void in your soul, and that is to surrender your life to Jesus Christ. He calls us to be converted and to repent of our sins, so that our sins may be blotted out of His record book forever (Acts 3:19). If we confess our sins, He is faithful and honorable and He forgives them. He not only forgives them, but He also cleanses us from the penalty of all our unrighteous deeds ( 1 John 1:9). Our sins are like scarlet, but He washes them white as snow with his own blood (Matthew 26:28). Though they are red like crimson, He makes them white as lamb's wool (Isaiah 1:18). Then He brings us times of refreshing as we bask in His presence (Acts 3:19).
Once
we are in Christ, we are a new creation; old things have passed away and all
things are becoming new through the process of sanctification (2
Corinthians 5:17). In Him, we have redemption through His blood and
forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians
1:7). Though we have lived in rebellion against Him, He
grants us mercy and forgiveness (Daniel 9:9). He has removed our transgressions so completely
that, He casts them away as far as the east is from the west (Psalm
103:12). He also casts all our sins into the depths of the
sea (Micah 7:19). He promises
not to remember our sins and lawless deeds ever again (Hebrews
10:17; Isaiah 43:25).
Forgiveness is actually a two-edged sword. If you do not forgive others their trespasses against you, then neither can your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses against Him and other people (Matthew 6:14-15). For some reason forgiveness is foreign to many people. We punish ourselves inordinately and we punish others by holding them accountable for their actions toward us. As soon as you come to Christ in repentance, He forgives all of your sins. Then you are free to forgive others their trespasses against you. Actually, because we freely received God’s Love, we can freely forgive our self and others by realizing that we are all mere mortals striving to do our best.
Forgiveness is actually a two-edged sword. If you do not forgive others their trespasses against you, then neither can your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses against Him and other people (Matthew 6:14-15). For some reason forgiveness is foreign to many people. We punish ourselves inordinately and we punish others by holding them accountable for their actions toward us. As soon as you come to Christ in repentance, He forgives all of your sins. Then you are free to forgive others their trespasses against you. Actually, because we freely received God’s Love, we can freely forgive our self and others by realizing that we are all mere mortals striving to do our best.
So,
when you
stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them; so that your
Father in heaven may also forgive you (Mark
11:25). We have redemption and forgiveness of all our sins
through His blood, now and for all time (Colossians
1:13-14). Forgiveness gives us freedom from the bondage of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), which will defile
our whole body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:
23). Forgiveness actually turns those who offended us over
to God to deal with and to extract revenge in His timing and in His way (Romans 12:19). We also often fail
to accept His forgiveness of our sins as a free gift (Romans 6:23). We attempt to earn
it by our works, or we refuse to appropriate it to our lives by forgiving our
self and those who mistreat us.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when I fail to forgive my self and others, please remind me that You died to insure our forgiveness. I often find myself attributing mortal characteristics to You, forgetting You are an immortal God. Father God, Satan wants me to fear that You will tire of my failings and eventually reject me totally. I know that the good news is that we may make mistakes, but Your love is not contingent upon our works. You call us to aspire to perfection, but You know that without You we can do nothing (John 15:5). You created us as human beings and You know our character will grow with each trial through which we persevere.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when I fail to forgive my self and others, please remind me that You died to insure our forgiveness. I often find myself attributing mortal characteristics to You, forgetting You are an immortal God. Father God, Satan wants me to fear that You will tire of my failings and eventually reject me totally. I know that the good news is that we may make mistakes, but Your love is not contingent upon our works. You call us to aspire to perfection, but You know that without You we can do nothing (John 15:5). You created us as human beings and You know our character will grow with each trial through which we persevere.
Thought for the Day:
Jesus endured the cross to
ensure that we will join Him in eternity.