(Mark 11:25)
Forgiveness. One word, but one of the most difficult words there is in the
human language. I want to encourage you to take a step,
one giant leap of spiritual maturity. I believe one of the marks of a
mature
Christian is the ability to forgive, not man's way of forgiving, but
God's way.
Let me tell you the difference. When man forgives, the words are said, the
intentions are there, but deep down there is still a remembrance of the
circumstances involved. When God forgives, He wipes it out as if it never
existed. That is true Godly, Biblical forgiveness. not just the act
itself, but the additional step of acting like it never happened. Forgiving
and forgetting. If you want to measure your spiritual maturity, this is a
great place to start.
So many of the requests I get daily involve people in difficult situations
where they are trying to deal with people in their lives that have hurt them
in some way. Many get past the actual events, but just can't let go of the
hurt feelings. They have forgiven the offending party, but they have not
been able to forget. Let me encourage you today. Forgetting is critical to
getting on with your life. Forgetting allows you to put the events and
circumstances behind you and go forward. It is ultimately in YOUR best
interest to not only forgive, but forget so that you can go forward and
tackle new challenges God has for your life.
The other problem I deal with each day is people not being able to forgive
themselves. Listen, the Bible tells us that we have "all come short of the
glory of God." We are all sinners. We all make mistakes. When you go to
God and confess your sins, the Bible promises us that he not only forgives
us, but cleanses us from all unrighteousness. He not only has forgiven us,
but He has forgotten the transgression. God acts like it never happened.
The point I'm trying to make is that if God has forgiven you, if God has
wiped the slate clean, if in God's mind the sin never existed...why are you
holding on to it??? Let it go, and go forward. The lesson today is to forgive others, not man's way, but God's way. Forgive AND forget.
Secondly, quit beating yourself up over things God has already
forgotten about. He forgave you, so now forgive yourself. All of this is
important because if you are not forgiving others, how can you ask or expect
God to forgive you? Trust me, the things you want God to forgive you for
are
more serious than the things others have done to you. Forgiveness is so
important because it is only through forgiveness that we can go forward with
our lives serving God, fulfilling His plan for our life.
I will be praying for each of you today to have the strength to forgive
others and forgive yourself, to put those things in the past behind, and
with a clean slate go forward in service to our Lord and Savior. I love
you, am praying for you, and am standing with you always as we work together
to grow in His love and grace. Let this be a wonderful day serving Him!
