"Forgiveness"

It is simply amazing how difficult it is for people to forgive. Over the many years I have heard from sincere brothers and sisters say they are willing to forgive but forgetting is another matter. Where did we come up with such thoughts and conclusions? Others come up with the idea that you only forgive those who ask for forgiveness using Luke 17 as their basis. Applying those verses in such a way is against the word of God. The angry mob didn't ask for forgiveness while ridiculing our Lord during His death and the words came from His heart, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

When we ask someone about their ability to forgive, they hesitate, especially when they have been wronged. When you ask someone about their willingness to forgive, that really puts pressure on the heart because many times our hearts are bitter and holds so firmly to the hurt that we are unwilling to forgive. To forgive takes a heart for Jesus! A heart for Jesus knows the great depth of forgiveness that was extended to you personally, over and over. What if Jesus hesitated toward you? What if Jesus said, "Okay, I'll forgive you but I won't forget?" Listen carefully to the covenant God made with us through Christ: "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." (Heb. 8:12) Does that sound like "forgiving but not forgetting?" Forgiveness sometimes isn't easy, especially when we have been taken advantage of or hurt by the same individual numerous times. The real difficulty comes when we look at the offender and offenses rather than the Lord. Our focus becomes the hurts and that breeds contempt and bitterness. Those things settle in the heart and our lives takes on the view from that perspective. What has happened to Jesus? He gets pushed aside and we find little power and ability to help the situation. Saving the soul of the offender is out of the question and all that matters to us is punishment for the offender. Does that sound like Jesus?

The longer one walks with Jesus and sees the depth of love offered, forgiveness becomes part of who you are. You take on the nature of the Lord Jesus and the heart wants to please Him in all aspects. Jesus said in Matt. 18:35 that forgiveness must be from the heart. It's all a matter of heart, what resides in the heart and the actions taken in the heart. Peter spoke of Jesus that while "being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously." (I Pet. 2:23) Jesus entrusted Himself to God which kept His heart beating with the heart of God. Jesus wants people saved. When bitterness and resentment set in, that person who holds to such wants those who have hurt them punished, the opposite of Jesus. What are we to do? "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." (I Pet. 2:21)

When one spreads the shame of another, that is the face of non-forgiveness. It is a harboring of hatred and cherishing grudges. That means there is no forgiveness to the one who does such. The words of Jesus are there for a reason and if we do not heed, with a willing heart to forgive, that opens our lives to a lot of bad things. Forgiveness from the heart, that's the example and steps we are to follow! That's the heart of God! Otherwise, we simply will not be forgiven ourselves. Our eternal destiny has just been changed no matter what we profess!