Forgiveness Nuggets 5
Choose forgiveness.
The difficult thing about forgiveness is that we often think we have forgiven when in reality we have not. We harbor grudges in our heart.
I have forgiven a person in my life at least a hundred times. I’ve brought it before God many times, I’ve spoken it out loud, I’ve written it down, you name it, I’ve tried it. But yet when I think of this person I get bitter and find myself saying hurtful things about this person. I’ve done everything I know of to forgive, but it comes down to my own heart. It came down to the fact that I hated this person. It made me an ugly, bitter person.
Anger and unforgiveness destroy life. As Christians, forgiveness must be our central daily work if we are to guard our hearts against hate and bitterness and walk in love with Jesus.
Every speck of dust we see in the eye of a brother or sister must be measured against the great splatters of mud that cloud our own vision.
This is so profound. If you are brutally honest with yourself, the very thing you hate in someone is sometimes the very plank you have in your own eye! That is a hard fact to face about your self!
As Christians, we should recognize that unforgiveness is a sin issue which cannot be remedied through our striving. That is exactly what I have been doing all these years, trying to do it myself. I’m not very successful!
Forgiveness only gets done when it is taken to the cross. Period. It is when I finally gave it over to the Lord did I not harbor any anger and hatred toward that person. No matter how hard I tried, I could not do it myself. If we could do it ourselves we wouldn’t need Christ and what He did on the cross!
The truth is that we are more likely to retain hurts from those who are close to us. They really know how to ‘get’ us. Also, we don’t expect it from those we love. Those are the deepest wounds to heal.
Keep your eyes on the Lord and He will help you through this process. Sometimes it is instant, but usually it is a process because it is our own heart that needs dealt with.
Prayer:
Father, I really need your help. I know that I can’t do this on my own. I need you to lead me, guide me and teach me how to forgive and to lead a life of forgiveness. Amen!
Lorilie Nelson
Choosing Forgiveness
John & Paula Sandford and Norm Bowman
Copyright © 1996
Clear Stream, Inc. Publishing
Box 122128, Arlington, Texas 76012
Total Forgiveness
R.T. Kendall
Copyright © 2002
Published by Charisma House
A Strang Company
600 Rinehart Road
Lake Mary, Florida 32746
Scripture quoted from:
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