Wednesday, December 28, 2016

FORGIVENESS


Forgiveness
Luke 23:34: “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots”
                                                                                                                                                           

In moments when people are crucified, they either plead or express pain, but Jesus Christ did not do any of these when He was being nailed to the cross. A sinless sufferer that He was, rather asked for forgiveness for His accusers, killers or mockers. Jesus rather asked for forgiveness.

Has anybody wronged you, Christ says forgive! Maybe it is your brother, sister, neighbour, friend, husband, wife, and any human being, release that bitterness and Let It go…!
Forgiveness, what is it?
Forgiveness is:  “To give up or cease to feel resentment (anger, dislike, bitterness, hatred)”. When you forgive someone, you are willing to let go of the offense and any and all resentment, and then to pardon or show mercy.
The Problem is...
In times that people have wronged us, we become so hurt that we find it difficult to forgive, but Christ says forgive. In most times, we cannot forgive because we think about ourselves. For example, he is fond of doing that; how can he treat me like that; there are things you can’t forgive; he will take me cheap; you do me I do you syndrome; etc. Forgiveness does not come easy for most of us. Our natural instinct is to recoil in self-protection when we've been injured or hurt. We don't naturally overflow with mercy, grace and forgiveness when we've been wronged.

Effects of un-forgiveness
When you store un-forgiveness in your heart, it is like a seed that grows, whether you are conscious of it or not. It begins as anger, grows into resentment, and matures into bitterness. It begins to affect your mind and thoughts and how you view and treat others. As bitterness grows, it hardens your heart and begins to spread into other areas of your life, to where it eventually spills out of your mouth and can no longer be hidden from others - it spreads! If filled with bitterness for a long period of time, you become a different person; you no longer enjoy the blessings in your life and you are filled with anger and distrust towards life and people. You are a different person, one that is hard-hearted and hard to love- it changes you!


How can we forgive?
1)   Confess It to God: By confessing it to God you are acknowledging that you were indeed hurt by this situation or person, but you realize you need to forgive in spite of how you feel, in order to be set-free, restored, healed, and no longer in sin.
2)   Replace the anger with love; have patience which is an ingredient of love (1 Corinthians. 13, Jn. 3:16; Jn. 4:20). When you do this, forgiveness comes to bear i.e. you give up or cease to feel resentment. You willingly put the matter in the past in order to move forward.
3)   Focus on the relationship or the role of the person in your life prior to the incident.
4)   Focus on the positive lessons learnt from the pain (e.g. Joseph &brothers- gen. 50:20)
5)   Get refreshing from the word of God. Have Faith and obedience to the word of God (Prov.20:22; Rom. 12:18; 1Pet. 3:9, Matthew 5:44), (Colossians 3:13), (Ephesians4:32).
6)   Remember that God has already forgiven you your sins (Matt. 18:20-35). Therefore you also need to forgive others.
Benefits of forgiveness
1)   Shows we are the children of God. Forgiveness is a command and therefore it shows our obedience to God and Jesus Christ. (Matthew 6:14-16).
2)   We will have no hindrances to our prayers (Mark 11:25-26)
3)   Medically, forgiveness is a prescription for good health and happiness- no pain or bitterness.
Conclusion

There are a lot of benefits in forgiveness than un-forgiveness. We forgive out of obedience to the Lord. However, as we do this "forgiving," we discover the command is in place for our own good, and we receive the reward of our forgiveness—freedom. So let us forgive one another as our Father in heaven forgives us. Col. 3:13

Prayer

Read Matthew 5:44. Pray for somebody who has hurt you so badly that you can’t imagine forgiving him/her. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you forgive that person and to restore your relationship with the person.
Advice

From here, take the bold step to visit the person who has wronged you and tell him/her Jesus loves him/her. God richly bless you. Amen!

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