Calvary Pointers Morning Showers 05 October 2023 Devotional by Reverend Ajisafe Opeyemi - The Power To Forgive
The Power To Forgive
"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." - Matthew 18:21-22 KJV
Christianity is built on the conscious, willing act of one man taking on the sin of those who offended and hurt him and choosing to not hold it against them.
Jesus let us off the hook. He’s our perfect example of forgiveness. C.S. Lewis put it, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
True forgiveness isn’t easy. In fact, at times it’s very hard. Just ask Jesus. At one point he begged, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”(Luke 22:42).
You know the emotional pain and guilt you carry from your own failures and how people have hurt you. Can you imagine what it would be like to carry that kind of weight for every person who has ever lived?
Jesus took the hard road of forgiveness because he knew it was God’s will for him and for the world. It was an act of obedience. “He learned obedience through what he suffered.”(Hebrews 5:8) Jesus forgave and he tells us “now go and do the same.”(Luke 10:37) He gives us the power to forgive.
When Peter asked how many times he had to forgive someone who hurt him, Jesus told the parable in Matthew 18:23. The king in the story was furious with the servant who wouldn’t forgive others. After rebuking him, he handed that man who wouldn’t forgive over to jailers to be tortured.
Holding on to unforgiveness can feel like torture. And God won’t remove those feelings if we choose to not forgive. But when we choose the hard path of forgiveness, we set ourselves free from that prison. Forgiveness isn’t optional for followers of Christ and, as with everything God asks of us, forgiveness is good for us. It frees us from the pain of living with past hurt.
But forgiveness is the filter that can clear out the pollution from hurt in our hearts.
Forgiveness can actually become a daily habit that keeps us free and clear from resentment. It helps us keep the waters of our hearts flowing pure and clear so we can be a life-giving source to others.
The scripture says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life". Proverbs 4:23 KJV
Our Lord Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God". Matthew 5:8 KJV
The very truth is you cannot forgive and forget. It’s impossible! Your mind is too powerful to just forget. If you spend your life trying to forget something someone did to you, thinking this is true forgiveness, you’ll live in constant guilt. We don’t forgive and forget, we forgive and choose to remember with forgiveness.
God’s grace gives you the power to forgive. You just need to make the decision to embrace that grace by letting go and forgiving those who hurt you.
Good Morning.
Glorious day at work.
#ThePowerToForgive
#RelationshipSeries
#ForgiveAndMoveOn
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