My devotionals the last two days have dealt with Forgiveness. This is a very important topic for us to understand, so I really want to spend some time with it here and see if we can't get to the bottom of this wonderful word that is so hard for us to practice, but as believers was laid out for us so easily that we simply have to rach out and take it.
Scripture Texts:
Ephesians 4:31-32
Deuteronomy 29:18
Supporting Scriptures:
Matthew 6:14, 15; 18:35
Mark 11:25
Hebrews 12:15
Colossians 3:8
1 Peter 2:1
In Ephesians 4:31-32 we read: Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
So what are these verses all about? Let's get a little deeper and look beneath the words on the page and see if we can't figure this out. What we have in the verses above is Christ's law of forgiveness as taught in the Gospels See the supporting scriptures above. This is also found in the Lord's prayer "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." God does not forgive us because we forgive others, but out of His great mercy.
In Matthew 6:14-15 we read Jesus' Words " For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (italics mine)
So what does this mean? In these verses Jesus is giving us a startling warning about forgiveness: if we refuse to forgive others, God also forgives to forgive us. Why? Is it because God does not love us? No, we are God's children, and he will love us no matter what, the reason behind this warning is simply this: When we don't forgive others, we are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God's forgiveness. God's forgiveness, however, is not the direct result of our forgiving others, but it is based on our realizing what forgiveness means Reference again Ephesians 4:32 ( And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.) It is very easy for us to ask God for forgiveness, but it is extremely difficult for us to grant forgiveness to others. Whenever we ask God to forgive us for sin, we should ask ourselves, "Have I forgiven the people who have wronged me?" Just like when we take Communion, we have a silent moment to examine ourselves, to see if we have any unconfessed sin, which includes unforgiveness toward another. If we do, we should let the communion elements pass us by until we have confessed that sin, or given that forgiveness to the one who wronged us. It is important for us to forgive the other person, even if they do not know or think that they have done anything for which they need forgiveness. Forgiving someone has to do with the condition of your heart, NOT THEIRS.
How many times have you harboured unforgiveness in your heart toward another, who either wronged you, or you perceived has wronged you, and how many times have you been like the Miserable, depressed, and emotionally broken person hunched over a chemistry set. His eyes are narrow, his lips are pursed. His fingers are adding just a pinch of this and a dash of that to the acrid green fluid in the test tube before him.
He spends all his time mixing up this poison, and when it is finally done, he drinks the poison and says "This will show him/her!"
We (the man in our story) spend and waste so much time and effort, hardening our hearts with outdated images of all of the past wrongs that they have done to us, harbouring it, allowing it to fester until it finally turns to bitterness and Hate.
Bitterness is a toxin that we prepare for someone else, but then drink ourselves. This blogger has been there and done that, I got the T-Shirt. Don't let your life be filled with this bitterness. Go to that brother/sister and forgive them unconditionally, explain why God desires for you to forgive them, even if they do not fully realize what is going on, they will be influenced by it and your heart and mind will be free from the torturous, bittnerness that twists your mind so that you can't think straight.
In Deuteronomy 29:18 We read: Lest there should be among you man, woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood:
Here Moses is cautioning that the day that the Hebrews chose to turn from God, a root would be planted that would produce bitter fruit-Gall and Wormwood. What are Gall and Wormwood?
Easton's Bible Dictionary has the following description:
Heb. mererah, meaning "bitterness" ( Job 16:13 ); i.e., the bile secreted in the liver. This word is also used of the poison of asps ( 20:14 ), and of the vitals, the seat of life (25).
When we decicde to do what is wrong, we plant an evil seed that begins to grow out of control, eventually yielding a crop of sorrow and pain. But we can prevent those seeds of sin grom taking root. If you have done something wrong, confess it to God and others (Especially those who you may have wronged) immediately. If the seed never finds fertile soil, its bitter fruit will never ripen.
Let's close now in a brief word of prayer:
Heavenly Father God, thank you for your word that we might learn to rightly divide the word of truth. Thank you Father for the gift of your son who became my sin, so that I could put on Him, and be clothed in His righteousness. Because of Him, you no longer see the wretch that I was. Please bring to my mind unforgiveness that I have been harbouring towards others, give me the strength and courage to bring that to their attention, not in an accusatory way, but in a gentle, loving way that will show that I am just there offering forgiveness, not expecting anything from them in return. Help me demonstrate the Love that Christ Jesus showed me when He died for me while I was yet a sinner. Thank your for that precious gift of life, and for your eternal mercy. In Christ Jesus name, Amen
