Forgiveness
"Father, forgive them"
"Do not hold this against them"
"They know not what they are doing"
"Forgive as Christ forgave"
"As you forgive others, so your father in heaven will forgive you"
Honestly, forgiveness is not something I struggle deeply with. I'm just not a grudge holder. But, even in areas of relative strength there is room for growth.
This morning God challenged me to take my forgiveness to the next level. How can I tell I'm truly forgiving that other person?
Have I prayed for them as Jesus prayed?
Do I simply avoid thinking about them, or have I actually carried their burden and borne them into God's throne room on my prayers?
Have I wrestled in prayer for God to forgive them?
Not long ago I read The Devil in Pew Number Seven and the author talks quite a bit about forgiveness. She had a lot to forgive, and by God's grace she did. But, she also said that even though she did forgive, she will need to do it again.
We aren't like God who can choose to not remember. I will dredge up an old memory. Or, more likely, some comment or person or product or smell or date or something trivial will trigger a renewed feeling I thought I let go of long ago. That's when I realize that I need to forgive, again.
Maybe that's some of what was behind the forgiveness count that Jesus gave. We might have to forgive the same offense dozens of times because we continue to wrestle through it at various levels. It seems praying as Jesus prayed would accelerate this process. Praying for God to forgive them makes me consider the seriousness (or lack thereof) in their offense.
Think about it, how silly does it sound to ask God to forgive someone for wasting our time? Or, taking our parking spot? Or, taking credit for our idea? Or, making a snide remark? Or, not forgiving us? Maybe those are easy things to forgive, but even more serious stuff shows it's insignificance when couched in a prayer.
And, if God can forgive them when the offenses nailed His only son to the tree, I guess I can work on that, too.
I'm thankful that God's forgiveness is complete, knows no limits. And, He patiently teaches me to forgive, both others and myself.
"Do not hold this against them"
"They know not what they are doing"
"Forgive as Christ forgave"
"As you forgive others, so your father in heaven will forgive you"
Honestly, forgiveness is not something I struggle deeply with. I'm just not a grudge holder. But, even in areas of relative strength there is room for growth.
This morning God challenged me to take my forgiveness to the next level. How can I tell I'm truly forgiving that other person?
Have I prayed for them as Jesus prayed?
Do I simply avoid thinking about them, or have I actually carried their burden and borne them into God's throne room on my prayers?
Have I wrestled in prayer for God to forgive them?
Not long ago I read The Devil in Pew Number Seven and the author talks quite a bit about forgiveness. She had a lot to forgive, and by God's grace she did. But, she also said that even though she did forgive, she will need to do it again.
We aren't like God who can choose to not remember. I will dredge up an old memory. Or, more likely, some comment or person or product or smell or date or something trivial will trigger a renewed feeling I thought I let go of long ago. That's when I realize that I need to forgive, again.
Maybe that's some of what was behind the forgiveness count that Jesus gave. We might have to forgive the same offense dozens of times because we continue to wrestle through it at various levels. It seems praying as Jesus prayed would accelerate this process. Praying for God to forgive them makes me consider the seriousness (or lack thereof) in their offense.
Think about it, how silly does it sound to ask God to forgive someone for wasting our time? Or, taking our parking spot? Or, taking credit for our idea? Or, making a snide remark? Or, not forgiving us? Maybe those are easy things to forgive, but even more serious stuff shows it's insignificance when couched in a prayer.
And, if God can forgive them when the offenses nailed His only son to the tree, I guess I can work on that, too.
I'm thankful that God's forgiveness is complete, knows no limits. And, He patiently teaches me to forgive, both others and myself.
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