Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another;even as Christ forgave you, so you must all do. Colossians 3:13
Forgiveness is not a word that many of us like to talk about and we really
don't want to hear about it. I have had opportunity to face up to areas where
I was still harboring unforgiveness and when you come face to face with this
it doesn't feel good. Often you revisit the incident and realize the pain and
feelings in your body that go along with the emotional strain of holding on
to unforgiveness.
Forgiveness is not an option when you are a Christian. This is if you want
to live as Father God has instructed through His word. The scripture above
states "so you must all do."
If you didn't know that it was a command, now you do and your job is to
discover ways to live a lifestyle of forgiveness. It is now your responsibility
to ask God for wisdom in this area.
The Bible says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
Talk to Him (pray) about this area
in your life. Ask Him for a spirit of obedience and than make room for
His guidance so that you will be free to receive the blessing of God
on your life.
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father, Who is in heaven, may also forgive you your (own) failings and shortcomings and let them drop.
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings. Mark 11:25-26
Another point I'd like to interject is that just because you forgive someone
doesn't mean that you're condoning their actions. Choosing to forgive is not necessarily for the other individual as much as it is to allow you to live
a lifestyle of freedom!
For illustration purposes let's look at it this way you may receive a dog bite (I don't wish this upon anyone)
. Usually the owner is held responsible. When deciding
to forgive you saying that you condone the action of the dog but you choose
to forgive. Also choosing to forgive doesn't mean you have to go back up
in the yard where the dog is either.
Begin or continue to pursue a lifestyle of forgiveness for your best Empowered life!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Robin,
ReplyDeleteThe analogy about being bitten by a dog and forgiving the owner, but not going back in the yard with the dog will be very helpful, I think, in a discussion on forgiveness that I'll be participating in in a couple of weeks.