Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14-15 [14] For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: [15] But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
“I’ll forgive them, but I don’t have to like them.” Is that something you’ve ever heard said? Maybe even something you’ve said? I’ve never heard it said besides being in a hateful tone towards someone. I’m not implying you have to go out of your way to be friends with someone, but with an attitude like that are we truly in the forgiving business? We’ve all been hurt. We’ve all had people say things about us behind our back. We’ve all had someone do something to us that we just don’t think they deserve forgiveness. It doesn’t matter if they ask, or if the deserve it. We are instructed to forgive. As far as them not deserving it: Neither did/do we! We have reached a point where when somebody does something that hurts us instead of forgiving them and just moving on we hold grudges instead. This then begins to just fester and at times can just make us completely miserable. Christ has forgiven us. I’d say we’ve done far worse things to Him than what anyone has done to us. Yet, we tend to just keep a hateful, unforgiving and just an unChrist-like attitude. Think of the attitude Stephen had as they were stoning him.
Acts 7:59-60 [59] And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. [60] And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
We get so angry at words or someone doing something we don’t agree with that we then just lose our minds. Yet, here Stephen is being stoned and cries out to God to not lay their sin to their charge! Wow! What a difference in attitude compared to what you see nowadays. Instead of forgiving we are to often ready to do the stoning! Our lack of forgiveness affects our relationship with Christ. Don’t allow it fester! Instead forgive that person for whatever it may be that continues to eat at you on the inside.
God bless you today! Bro. Josh Richardson
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