Forgiveness means – To let someone off the hook. Its one of those words that we say, but do we really mean it? How does God forgive? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son so that whoever (that’s you and me) believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (John 3:16-17) What was Jesus’ role? He came, lived on earth as a man, and did many miracles to show the power of God in and through him. He was falsely accused, beaten and crucified like a criminal. But he didn’t stay dead; God raised him up on the third day. Why go to all this trouble? Because he wanted to forgive our sin (wrong doing), to take the weight off our shoulders and place it on Jesus, so that we could have a relationship with God, where he didn’t have to look at our sin when he sees us he sees Jesus. Why would he want a relationship with you? Or me? Because ………he loves us! You probably know all this but do you know that because we have been forgiven by God when we ask him to forgive us, we also must forgive those who hurt us. Remember how Jesus taught his disciples to pray saying:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Holy is your name Thy kingdom come,
May your will be done here on earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us today our food for today,
And forgive us our sins.
Just as we have forgiven those who
Have sinned against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
The amount we forgive others will be how much we are forgiven. But it also puts a wall between us and God when we don’t forgive. Ill give you an illustration. I had been feeling far away from God and had missed him talking to me as I prayed, there seemed to be a wall. I asked some friends to pray, they suggested I ask God what the problem was. So, one day as I was praying, and vacuuming the house. I asked God what the problem was. God showed me these black rubbish bags, neatly tied up, sitting behind the couch (in a vision). Lord what does this mean? I discovered that I had not fully forgiven people who had hurt me or said things about me. In order for my relationship with Jesus to be restored I had to repent (turn away from unforgiveness), forgive and place at the foot of the cross those rubbish bags and leave them there… When I did that my relationship with Jesus was restored and has grown. When we don’t forgive we harm ourselves, we become unhappy people. When we forgive we get ourselves off the hook. So people I would encourage you to forgive so that you may be forgiven.
- Cheryl Dobbe |
