Why Must I Forgive?
One of the hardest things to do sometimes is to forgive someone. Especially if they haven’t asked us too, or we don’t think they are really sincere in asking, or they have hurt us or someone we care about really deeply.
Sometimes [or oftentimes] we don’t really want to consider it fair to simply have someone tell us, “I am sorry”. We usually want that person to have to “pay” for what they did. “I want justice!” - Justice then forgiveness -
Interestingly, we usually become hypocritical in our thinking when it is us who are the ones guilty and are in need of forgiveness. We fumble around the idea that something or someone has caused us to do something, we may think that it is petty that the other person will not forgive us, but seldom do we actually want to consider that we deserve punishment for our actions and we can’t understand why the person just want forgive us. I said, “I’m sorry. What more do you want from me?”
In Matthew 18:21, 22 Christ said we should forgive 7 times 70. The context is not to count to 490 and stop forgiving, though we often do keep a record and can easily recall it.
Christ said the whole law hinges on two commandments: [1] Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. [2] Love your neighbor as yourself.
Ephesians 4:32 says, “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
We are to forgive, not because someone deserves it, but because we love God we are to love them and because God has forgiven us we are to forgive them.
God will take care of the fair and justice part.
Sometimes [or oftentimes] we don’t really want to consider it fair to simply have someone tell us, “I am sorry”. We usually want that person to have to “pay” for what they did. “I want justice!” - Justice then forgiveness -
Interestingly, we usually become hypocritical in our thinking when it is us who are the ones guilty and are in need of forgiveness. We fumble around the idea that something or someone has caused us to do something, we may think that it is petty that the other person will not forgive us, but seldom do we actually want to consider that we deserve punishment for our actions and we can’t understand why the person just want forgive us. I said, “I’m sorry. What more do you want from me?”
In Matthew 18:21, 22 Christ said we should forgive 7 times 70. The context is not to count to 490 and stop forgiving, though we often do keep a record and can easily recall it.
Christ said the whole law hinges on two commandments: [1] Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. [2] Love your neighbor as yourself.
Ephesians 4:32 says, “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
We are to forgive, not because someone deserves it, but because we love God we are to love them and because God has forgiven us we are to forgive them.
God will take care of the fair and justice part.
1 comment:
I agree Tim; It is one of the hardest thingswe are to do at times; but it is something we HAVE to do!
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