For if you forgive others their trespass, your Heavenly Father will also forgive, but if you do not forgive others, their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14 -15
Can you easily forgive others? or is it hard for you to do? Does it depend on what the situation is?
God forgives us when we ask, all he asks is that we also forgive others. It doesn’t matter what the crime, hurt, offense is. God asks us to forgive.
What does forgive actually mean? According to the dictionary.com, forgive means to stop feeling angry or resentful towards(someone) for an offense, flaw or mistake.
Flaw sure is interesting in this term. It means a mark, fault, or other imperfections that mars a substance or object; a mistake or short coming in a plan, theory, or legal document that causes it to fail, or reduces its effectiveness.
It sometimes means “to let go”, “to leave behind”, “to dismiss” and even to “cancel a debt”. God uses forgiveness to cancel our guilt.
Let’s put some perspective here! Humans are not perfect! We offend God. We are imperfect. We make mistakes. If you think about it, we meet this definition of flawed. Yet, God is willing to forgive us. All he asks is that we do the same, forgive others as he does. I know it’s easier said then done, sometimes.
Jesus teaches that we should be ready and willing to forgive others. There should be no compromise. When we hold on to the attitude of not forgiving ,it is a sin. It is a sin because of the bitterness and destruction it can bring in one’s own spirit. It fails to reflect God’s character, who he is in our lives. Here is a grave point. God will not forgive us. He also won’t answer our prayers. Why, you might ask? Because we choose to hang on to our sin.
Do you have some one that need your forgiveness?
Is there bitterness and angry in your life towards someone?
Do you want to be forgiven?
Where in your heart do you need to work at on forgiving?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being a forgiving father. God show us in our hearts where we need to forgive others. Help us to deal with this forgiveness.
In Jesus Name
Amen
