Pains and hurts are unavoidable in life. At some points in human’s life, someone would hurt you and you might be the one that hurt someone or yourself. Forgiveness has been one of the very laid down kingdom rule that God has put in place that believers should do. The act of forgiveness is not often easy, especially when the offense caused is grievous. Still the word of God encourages us to forgive.
God is not asking us to do what He has not already done. The reason we are saved is because he forgave us first. Forgiveness may not be easy; God always supplies strength and grace when we are ready to let go and find peace in our heart.
WHEN FORGIVENESS IS DIFFICULT
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
When forgiving yourself or someone is difficult. You need to ask God for help. You need to pray to him to give you the heart of flesh and remove every stony heart. It is quite understandable that it is right for you to be angry, but the law of God encourages forgiveness. Seek the help of God.
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Also, you can do all things through Christ that gives you strength. God can help you through this process. You only need to depend totally on Him. He understands your pains and He is ready to hold your hands through this process. You can forgive, because He is there to help you through it.
UNFORGIVENESS IS BONDAGE
John 8:36
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Not forgiving the one’s that has offends you is bondage that satan has placed upon your soul. Jesus can free you from every form of bondage. The bondage of unforgiveness limits not only one’s relationship with others but also one’s relationship with God.
FOR ALL HAVE SINNED
Romans 3:23-24
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
At a point in our lives, we were all sinners. We wronged God who has loved us and showed us immeasurable amount of kindness. Irrespective of the level of our sins, God forgave us and justified us freely by His grace. It is expected that we let go of other people’s offense in our heart too and follow God’s steps as good followers of Christ.
YOU RECEIVE FORGIVENESS WHEN YOU FORGIVE OTHERS
Matthew 6:14-15
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Your heavenly father will also forgive you, if you forgive other people. See how conditional that statement is. So, the bible says in case you do not forgive others, your heavenly father, although He is still your father will also not forgive you. Why place your life under such amount of burdens? You can forgive yourself and others. Let Go.
FORGIVENESS DESTROYS THE ROOT OF BITTERNESS
Hebrews 12:15
“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
Ephesians 4:31-32
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
The believers are expected to ensure that no bitter root grows up amidst them. The way to prevent that is by learning to forgive one another. The scriptures made it clear that offenses would come, but we must as well learn to forgive one another.
YOU ARE NOT CONDEMNED
Romans 8:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
When a person is unable to forgive himself, he places condemnation of some sort on himself to make the forgiveness more difficult to achieve. Do not be like that at all. As far as you are in Christ, God has not condemned you. So you need not to condemn yourself. You should forgive yourself. That is what God is expecting you to do.
OTHER SCRIPTURES ON FORGIVENESS
2 Corinthians 5:18, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Luke 23:34,”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
CONCLUSION
You are more productive, useful and happier when you forgive yourself and others. You deserve to be productive, useful and happy. God gives you strength. Amen.