Word for Today / You Must Forgive Them

[ladylovesJesus]

You Must Forgive Them

‘If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you.’ Mark 11:25 NIV

When asked which emotions contribute most to physical illness, a group of eminent doctors said, ‘Anger and unforgiveness.’ That’s because over time they release deadly toxins into your body. One doctor said, ‘It’s not what you are eating, but what’s eating you that threatens your health.’ When someone hurts you, there are four things you should do:

(1) Talk to them. Now, there’s a right time, a right place, and a right way to do it. Before you say anything, ask God to guide your thoughts and words. Then say what’s in your heart in a loving, low-key, non-judgmental way. After that, leave the rest with God. He can do a better job of changing things than you can.

(2) Don’t retaliate. When you’re tempted to lash out at someone, stop and remember the price Jesus paid to take away the sins you commit. Seeing your offender through God’s eyes will help you to forgive just about anybody.

(3) Let it go. As long as you dwell on the issue it’ll keep hurting you. You may let someone off your hook, but that doesn’t mean they’re off God’s hook. He will deal with them the right way and bring about the right result, which is something you can’t do.

(4) Ask God to bless them. You say, ‘Are you serious?’ Yes; Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you.’ (Luke 6:27-28 NIV) And when Jesus tells you to do something, He gives you the grace to do it.

written by Bob Gass

 

[HisFollower]

Yea also:
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(Matthew 6:14-15)
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
(Luke 6:37)
Beside these, the Holy Spirit of Truth speaking through the Apostle Paul makes it clear to us, saying:
For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
(Romans 11:30-31)

 

[Chopper]

Ah, forgiveness. A great topic. As a Counselor, this topic has come up so very often in almost every session. The problem was most always forgetting the offense. It's one thing to forgive, it's another entirely to forget.

In order to put a right perspective and example of forgetting an offense, I use our Heavenly Father as the Example. Now, when God forgives my sin, He remembers it no more....

Jeremiah 31:34 "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

Now, the question is, does the Lord have a bad memory? NO!! Is the Lord very forgetful? NO!! So why does God not remember my sins that He forgives? God (YHWH) is the Judge. He has a judicial system that He is committed to and doesn't change. In His judicial system, He has judged that once a sin is forgiven, that sin can't be brought forward from where God put it, and remember it against me.

To remember a sin would be to accuse me again. Lets say that I stole JBs chain saw. He reported it missing and suspected that I took it. The police came to my shop and, yep, there it is. I confess to the crime of being a thief, and ask JB to forgive me and he does. He even withdraws his complaint against me and I go free.

The next time JB see's me, he thinks, "there comes that old thief." JB has not really forgiven me because he "remembered" my sin and brought it forward in his mind. JB might even tell someone who was with him, "look, there's that old thief Chopper." He has remembered and has accused me and called me a thief.

Folks, when God forgave me of being a thief, it's gone!! Just like it never happened. That's what it means not to remember. Even if I steal again, before God, it's the first time. He forgives, puts the sin away from Him and His remembrance. I steal again, it's still the first time with God. Eventually my stealing will land me in jail, and it serves me right. Our system of Law remembers the three times I stole and puts me behind bars because it remembers, but God does not. Big difference.

We must forgive like God forgives. I must place an offense against me, not in front where it will eat at my emotions. No, it goes behind my thinking, and it stays there. The next time I think or see the offending person, I have to force myself not to bring back the offense in my mind. It stays behind me forever. If the person offends the same way again, it's the first time.

May God please bless this little teaching to release someone from a bad memory of a terrible offense. I love this verse....
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."Especially of forgiving a terrible offense against you, and never to bring it up again in your mind, no matter how wrong and tragic it was.