CHOOSE TO FORGIVE TODAY
bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
Sometimes we know the right thing to do is forgive, but we like to hold onto that thought after receiving an apology. That mindset has a problem because we are still holding on to the hurt.
“bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” (Colossians 3:13)
The person that hurt us may never ask us for forgiveness. They may never say they are sorry. They may not care, or they may not even realize what they have done. We end up harboring bitterness and resentment over something that the other person has long forgotten, and it is eating us up on the inside.
Never hold on to a hurt. It only leads to resentment, and resentment tears us up. Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will harm someone else. It does not work that way. We only hurt ourselves.
Resentment does have an antidote: forgiveness. When we experience the freedom of forgiveness, either when we have forgiven someone, or someone has forgiven us. We experience God’s love living through us.
Jesus served as a clear example of forgiveness, even in the most extreme circumstances. As Jesus hung on the cross, he said of His executioners:
“Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
When we struggle to forgive someone, remember the gift of God’s forgiveness, the very same forgiveness that Jesus offered on the cross and offers to us.
“Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
If we want God’s blessing in our lives, the only way we can receive them is by being merciful when we are faced with a hurt; we have a choice: We can hold on to it and be destroyed by resentment, or we can live in the freedom of forgiveness.
Has anyone ever done a hurtful thing to you or to someone you love? Did you forgive them, or are you still holding resentment?
Heavenly Father, I want Your blessings in my life. I must forgive others as You have forgiven me. When I walk in the ways You have provided, I will have peace. I must be merciful as then I will obtain mercy. All praise belongs to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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If We Want God’s Blessing In Our Lives, The Only Way We Can Receive Them Is By Being Merciful When We Are Faced With A Hurt; We Have A Choice: We Can Hold On To It And Be Destroyed By Resentment, Or We Can Live In The Freedom Of Forgiveness.
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