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Forgiveness
'...pray for those who mistreat you.' Luke 6:28
Ever heard this gold nugget: 'If someone smacks you, smack 'em back, son'. And the award for bad parenting goes to....! When somebody hurts you, you may want to hurt them back, twice as hard. But where does that get you? Does hurting them heal your wound? No. Does humiliating them make your humiliation any easier to stomach? No. What about holding a grudge? Who feels the weight of that? Them? Or you? Bitterness can pour salt into our gaping wounds. It takes control of our moods, it robs us of our joy, it kills our attitude, it destroys our relationships. So, what's the antidote for hurt?
Forgiveness. 'Ah, but you don't know what I've been through' you say. Nobody ever said this 'forgiveness' business was going to be easy. It's not. That's why we need to tap into God's power through prayer. If you can't forgive somebody, start by praying, 'Lord, I can't forgive in my own, natural strength, help me to press into Your supernatural strength to forgive in this situation'. But why forgive at all?
Jesus said, '...there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others' (Matthew 6:14-15 TM). Hard teaching, but Jesus was willing to back it up with His life. Even from the cross He prayed, 'Father, forgive them'. How about you?
written by Bob Gass
'...pray for those who mistreat you.' Luke 6:28
Ever heard this gold nugget: 'If someone smacks you, smack 'em back, son'. And the award for bad parenting goes to....! When somebody hurts you, you may want to hurt them back, twice as hard. But where does that get you? Does hurting them heal your wound? No. Does humiliating them make your humiliation any easier to stomach? No. What about holding a grudge? Who feels the weight of that? Them? Or you? Bitterness can pour salt into our gaping wounds. It takes control of our moods, it robs us of our joy, it kills our attitude, it destroys our relationships. So, what's the antidote for hurt?
Forgiveness. 'Ah, but you don't know what I've been through' you say. Nobody ever said this 'forgiveness' business was going to be easy. It's not. That's why we need to tap into God's power through prayer. If you can't forgive somebody, start by praying, 'Lord, I can't forgive in my own, natural strength, help me to press into Your supernatural strength to forgive in this situation'. But why forgive at all?
Jesus said, '...there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others' (Matthew 6:14-15 TM). Hard teaching, but Jesus was willing to back it up with His life. Even from the cross He prayed, 'Father, forgive them'. How about you?
written by Bob Gass
