In our ladies Bible study this week we discussed FORGIVENESS. We talked about anger, malice and bitterness. We discussed how bitterness can eat at your soul and destroy you. We were encouraged to ask God to search our hearts and reveal any anger or bitterness in us, and to FORGIVE those who have wronged or offended us. I can appreciate the value of not retaining anger - not becoming bitter, but it struck me today, as it never has before, why it is so important to FORGIVE - and not just say the words, but to truely FORGIVE, no longer holding any hatred or malice in my heart against ANY other person.
Matthew 6:14-15 states:
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Wow! Did I read that correctly? Does it really say that if I do not forgive others then God will not forgive me? Lets take another look...
Matthew 18 talks about a servent who was forgiven by his master of a major debt - only to inprison a fellow servent who could not repay him a minor debt.
Verses 34-35 say of the master in regards to the unforgiving servent:
And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
Well, that's pretty clear - if I do not, FROM THE HEART forgive I will be delivered to the torturers by God.
Mark 11:26 states it again:
" But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
I'm not seeing many any alternatives here....
Christ, himself, models this for us. We are not encouraged or urged to forgive those who offend us or hurt us - we are COMMANDED to forgive. How many times should we forgive for the same offence? (Peter is always bold enough to ask the questions for us!) Jesus states clearly in Matthew 18:21-22
" Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. "
70 times 7 ... ok, who has a calculator here? Yup, you're right - that's 490 times we are COMMANDED to forgive for the same offence. Do you think Jesus is really expecting us to keep track? What he is saying is simply "keep on forgiving and forgiving and forgiving and forgiving and forgiving..... " If we want to go to Heaven with our sins (transgressions) forgiven then WE MUST KEEP ON FORGIVING.
Wow.
This struck me really hard this week. I certainly don't keep a list on my fridge for each of my children, making tally marks for them each time they repeat an offence "ok kids, you've got 4 more times not making your beds when you're told and then I don't have to forgive you any more"... As a Mom, it seems that my children often (daily?) do things that require forgiveness - either from myself or from another child. is my "forgiveness bank" big enough? If God can forgive ALL my sins - EVERYTHING for ETERNITY, how then can I hold on to anger towards another person for an offence they've made against me?
FORGIVE
FORGIVE
FORGIVE
FORGIVE that you might also be FORGIVEN by the Father.
Lord,
Search me and know my heart. See if there be any unforgiveness in me. Please show me my errors and help me to know how to release any bitterness or malice that may have build up in my heart. Help me to teach my children to forgive, by Your Word and by my own example to them. Thank you for forgiving me no matter how much I mess up or repeat my errors. Thank you for loving me. Amen.
