I Forgive...Do You?

Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising honesty in television, Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me."

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." - Mark 11:25

Have you every found it difficult to forgive someone for something? I know that forgiveness can be hard. But, it is one of the most important things we need to learn in life; not only for us as Christians, but as human beings. This is not an option. You could say that it is a requirement for our own well being that we forgive others. After all, the Bible tells us that we must forgive.

Scripture shows us that forgiving others was very important to Jesus. He states quite clearly in Mark 11:25 that if you have anything against anyone, forgive him. We see evidence of this time and time again. For instance:
- In the Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5:7; 6:12-15
- In response to Peter’s question - Matthew 18:21-22
- In the parable of the unforgiving servant - Matthew 18:23-25
- In the sermon on the plain - Luke 6:37
- In teaching the disciples how to pray - Luke 11:4
- In teaching His disciples to forgive - Luke 17:3-4

We can also find examples where both Jesus and His followers demonstrated the forgiving spirit. I direct you to:
- Jesus on the cross - Luke 23:34
- Stephen as he was being stoned - Acts 7:59-60
- Paul when he was abandoned – 2 Timothy 4:16

Friends, I am here to tell you that we must develop the forgiving spirit. How? We can start by: focusing on God’s love for us (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10-11); remembering Christ’s willingness to die and forgive (1 John 3:16; Luke 23:34); and meditating on the passages above about the importance of forgiving others. Forgiving others helps us to understand what Jesus must have felt when he when through his trial and crucifixion for us. It also helps us receive the forgiveness that God held out to us.

What I have just shared with you is not rocket science. Unless we forgive, God will not forgive, and God does not hear the prayers of the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:12). Think of forgiveness as a process. It doesn’t happen instantly. We have to be willing to take the first steps to forgiving others in our lives. Where we must confess an unforgiving spirit, let us pray that grace will create in us a new heart! Such grace comes through responding to the gospel of the grace of God. (Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7)

Scripture: Romans 12:20; Luke 17:3-4; Acts 7:59-60; John 8:7; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13; Proverbs 19:11; Genesis 50:20-21.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are holy and righteous. You are perfect in justice. I confess that I have not forgiven as You have commanded me to. Through Jesus Christ, I now forgive these people: _______________ (names of these people, and what they did to you). I confess my pride and judgment of those people. Please forgive me Lord and cleanse me from my sin. Please help me thoroughly trust these people and the wrongs they caused me in your hands. I pray that your will be done in my life and in their lives. Please help me to no longer think of those wrongs, but instead to focus my thoughts on you. I invite you Lord, into any painful memories I have concerning what was done. Please heal any wounds I received and help me to have perspective on what happened. Thank you Father! In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

May God bless you,

Halie