Forgiveness

The dictionary says that to forgive means to stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake. Some also think of forgiveness as grace or a pardon for one's wrongdoings. Of course, forgiveness is easy to accept from someone we have wronged but not as easily given to someone who has wronged us. God's word says in Matthew 6:14 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."  So if we want God to forgive us we have to forgive others.

Now I do not know your story, I only know my own. Without going into great detail, I can tell you I have done many things I am not proud of at all. I can tell you there was a time in my life that I did something that I wasn't sure if forgiveness or pardon was in the plans for me. But, faithful as our heavenly Father is, He, of course, forgave me and the offense I committed was completely forgiven and pardoned. I have a whole new understanding of the meaning of forgiveness and grace because of the grace and forgiveness showed to me.

I know sometimes people because we are human can be offended, upset, mad, downright angry with someone else. Sometimes those feelings are completely justifiable because of what someone has done to us. However, as Christians, you know children of the King, the King who died for our sins, who ultimately gave the greatest sacrifice ever, His one and only Son, to offer us forgiveness an unearned pardon. We should forgive because we have been forgiven. Ok, so a person offends you more than once, they just keep hurting, keep upsetting, just keep committing the same offense over and over again. How many times do we have to forgive these people? Peter asks this same question of Jesus in Matthew 18:21-22 "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven." Ok, great 490 times and then I am done right?? Not exactly, Jesus teaches in parables and really 490 times to Him is really an unlimited plan. (Unlike most cellular unlimited plans with hidden fees!)

For some it is easy to forgive others, the person they struggle to forgive the most is themselves. I know I am sometimes my harshest critic and am harder on myself than anyone else could ever be. When we mess up, we ask Jesus to forgive us, then we should certainly forgive ourselves. The enemy likes to try and remind us of our offenses, and keep us dwelling on the past but let me assure you, once forgiven the past is the past.  Jesus cast our sins as far as the east is from the west and nobody really knows how far that is. Beloved, the precious word of God says, in John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." Do you see that Jesus didn't come to condemn us, so we shouldn't condemn ourselves, instead receive his mercy, grace, his forgiveness.

Jesus, thank you for your forgiveness for our sins, our mistakes. Jesus, help us to forgive ourselves, help us to remind the enemy of his future when he tries to remind us of our past. Help us to forgive others just as you have forgiven us.