The best example
of forgiveness is in the book of Luke, Chapter
23, verse 34. When Jesus was on the cross
suffering death, He looked down with eyes of
love and prayed: "Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do".
When
violated
mentally, physically, or spiritually, there is a
human urge to
"fight back". When someone whom
you trusted as a friend or family member
intentionally lies about you, or call you names
and does hurtful things to "get back" or punish
you in ways that they know will crush your
heart, or whatever the circumstance may be, Jesus requires us to
"forgive" when someone admits they have done
wrong by us.
Ephesians 4: 31
Let all
bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour,
and evil speaking, be put away from you, with
all malice: And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
God even
requires us to love and pray for our enemies. I
don't believe this means we have to be bosom
buddies with them again, and to learn from these
type things. It helps us grow in all kinds
of ways, but most of all the hurtful things
people to do us brings us that much closer to
God. They are the ones that have to reap what
they sowed, and they will in this lifetime, in
one way or another. The Bible don't lie about
anything it says.
Matthew
5: 43-48 "You have heard that it was said, `Love
your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell
you: Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, that you may be sons of your
Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on
the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those
who love you, what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And
if you greet only your brothers, what are you
doing more than others? Do not even pagans do
that? Be perfect, therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect."
Colossians 3: 13 Be gentle and forbearing with
one another and, if one has a difference (a
grievance or complaint) against another, readily
pardoning each other; even as the Lord has
[freely] forgiven you, so must you also
[forgive].
If you have
are constantly asking God to forgive you for the
same things over and over that you do, there has
not been a change; we are all human, and
humans make mistakes. Don't let your
mistakes be a "mind set pattern" for your
future. Pray and believe God will erase them
from your memory.
Mark 7:
14-16 Hearken unto me every one of you, and
understand: There is nothing from without a man,
that entering into him can defile him; but the
things which come out of him, those are they
that defile the man. If any man have ears
to hear, let him hear.
Mark
11:25-26 And when ye stand praying,
forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you
your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive,
neither will your Father which is in heaven
forgive your trespasses.
The power in
forgiving is that it enables you to be forgiven
by Jesus. Forgiving brings forth healing and
peace.
For if you forgive people their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6: 14
Forgiving someone does
not mean you have to be resume being "bosom
buddies" with them again. Forgive, let go, and
let Jesus fight your battles for you. By living
your life according to God's word and going
forward, not staying stagnant, or going
backwards, you will be able to take up your
cross daily and follow Him.
E
ach
of us will be held accountable when it is our
turn to stand before God on judgment day for the
things we do and say in this lifetime.
Matthew 12: 36-37 But I say unto you, That
every idle word that men shall speak, they
shall give account thereof in the day of
judgment. For by they words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words, thou shall be
condemned.
Luke
9:23: Then He said to them all, if anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
