Word for Today, 29 Apr 2004: Forgiving One Another
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
This message is about forgiving one another. Forgiveness is both
a choice and an attitude. Read what Neil Anderson has to say
about the scripture passage and forgiveness.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
____________________________________________________________
Daily in Christ
by Neil Anderson
April 29
copied from http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/devotionals/dailyinchrist/
THE CHOICE OF FORGIVENESS
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving
each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you
Most of the ground that Satan gains in the lives of
Christians is due to unforgiveness. We are warned to forgive
others so that Satan cannot take advantage of us (2
Corinthians 2:10, 11). God requires us to forgive others from
our hearts or He will turn us over to the tormentors (Matthew
18:34, 35). Why is forgiveness so critical to our freedom?
Because of the cross. God didn't give us what we deserve ; He
gave us what we needed according to His mercy. We are to be
merciful just as our heavenly Father is merciful (Luke
6:36). We are to forgive as we have been forgiven (Ephesians
4:31, 32).
Forgiveness is not forgetting. People who try to forget find
that they cannot. God says He will "remember no more" our
sins (Hebrews 10:17), but God, being omniscient, cannot
forget. "Remember no more" means that God will never use the
past against us (Psalm 103:12). Forgetting may be a result of
forgiveness, but it is never the means of forgiveness. When
we bring up the past and use it against others, we haven't
forgiven them.
Forgiveness is a choice, a crisis of the will. We choose to
face and acknowledge the hurt and the hate in order to
forgive from the heart. Since God requires us to forgive, it
is something we can do. (He would never require us to do
something we cannot do.) But forgiveness is difficult for us
because it pulls against our concept of justice. We want
revenge for offenses suffered. But we are told never to take
our own revenge (Romans 12:19). "Why should I let them off
the hook?" we protest. You let them off your hook, but they
are never off God's hook. He will deal with them
fairly--something we cannot do.
If you don't let offenders off your hook, you are hooked to
them and the past, and that just means continued pain for
you. Stop the pain; let it go. You don't forgive someone
merely for their sake; you do it for your sake so you can be
free. Your need to forgive isn't an issue between you and the
offender; it's between you and God.
Prayer:
Lord, I stand amazed at the example of Your forgiveness. I
desire to grow in my willingness to forgive those who have
hurt me.
=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs
hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover