Word for Today, Wed, 24 Mar 2004: The Cost of Forgiveness
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
There's no doubt that when we forgive - either ourselves or
someone else, there is an effort required, and hence, there is a
cost involved as well. The Bible is clear that we ought to
forgive.
Jesus Christ Himself is the ultimate example of one who forgives,
for His forgiveness came at a huge price. He was chased by
spiritual and political leaders, so it was clear that He was "a
marked man". Of course, Jesus knew, all along that He was the
Christ, the chosen One, the Messiah, so He had to give Himself
away. Sacrificing His entire life to ministry, only to be
rejected by His very own, then crucified, knowing all the while
what was to happen - now that is a huge cost. Jesus did it all
to forgive the sins of all who choose to follow Him.
This message covers the steps and the cost of forgiveness.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
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NEIL ANDERSON'S DAILY IN CHRIST
from Freedom in Christ Ministries
March 24
THE COST OF FORGIVENESS
Forgive your brother from your heart (Matthew 18:35 NIV).
Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another
person's sin. Forgiveness is costly; we pay the price of the evil
we forgive. Yet you're going to live with those consequences
whether you want to or not; your only choice is whether you will
do so in the bondage of bitterness or the freedom of forgiveness.
That's how Jesus forgave you--He took the consequences of your
sin upon Himself. All true forgiveness is substitutional, because
no one really forgives without bearing the penalty of the other
person's sin.
Why then do we forgive? Because Christ forgave us. God the Father
"made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Where is the justice? The cross makes forgiveness legally and
morally right: "For the death that He died, He died to sin, once
for all" (Romans 6:10).
How do you forgive from the heart? First, you acknowledge the
hurt and the hate. If your forgiveness doesn't visit the
emotional core of your past, it will be incomplete. This is the
great evangelical cover-up. Christians feel the pain of
interpersonal offenses, but we won't acknowledge it. Let God
bring the pain to the surface so He can deal with it. This is
where the healing takes place.
Ask God to bring to your mind those you need to forgive. Make a
list of all those who have offended you. Since God has forgiven
them by His grace, you can forgive them too. For each person on
your list, say: "Lord, I forgive (name) for (offenses)." Keep
praying about each individual until you are sure that all the
remembered pain has been dealt with. Don't try to rationalize or
explain the offender's behavior. Forgiveness deals with your
pain, not another's behavior. Remember: Positive feelings will
follow in time; freeing yourself from the past is the critical
issue.
Lord, I desire to be free from the hurt and the hate of offenses
in my past. Today I move beyond desiring to forgive and asking
Your help to forgive. Lord, I forgive _________ for ___________.
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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