Christian Living

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“To err is human; to forgive is divine,” Alexander Pope once said. But that point-of-view absolves us of our responsibility, doesn’t it?

The command to forgive is not one relegated to those who are holy but to all who desire to walk as Christ. If we haven’t been exercising the forgiveness “muscle” it can be very difficult to simply–forgive. There are innumerable amounts of offenses that happen to us in our everyday life. From the time we wake up in the morning to the time we lay our head back down on our pillow at night we have been assaulted by our family, other drivers on the road, our clients, bosses, co-workers, a waiter, the dry cleaners, school, teachers….and the list goes on and on. But Jesus told us to forgive.

It’s interesting that He didn’t suggest that we forgive, nor did He give us any option in the matter. He simply told us to do it. In the Lord's Prayer, He prays to the Heavenly Father, “...forgive us our debts as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” WOW! Have you thought about how you forgive? When you forgive do you forget like God says He does in Jeremiah 31:34 “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Or do you file away the fault and bring it up later in a fight or discussion?

You may be saying right about now, “Boy, Gabriel, you’re rough. It’s impossible to forgive and forget, especially if you’ve been hurt like I have.”

But in all honesty that really doesn’t matter. We can’t go through the Bible and pick and choose what we think we can or can’t do. The Bible isn’t tailor-fitted to accommodate our lives, but on the contrary we should aim to modify our lives to fit the Bible. If Jesus said that we must forgive than that is what we have to do. And He never asks us to do something impossible. Scripture tells us that with God, "...all things are possible." So if He told us to do it [forgive], then He has given us the ability to accomplish it.

The Bible mentions in several verses that there is a correlation between how we forgive and how God forgives us. Matthew 6:14 says it very plainly “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” But the idea is not to scare anyone into forgiving! It should sprout from your heart. Romans 5:5 says that "God has poured out His love in our hearts." So we DO have the capacity to love as God does. And God is very forgiving. In John 3:16, it shows us just how much He loves the world, and to what extent He will go to save us…not to condemn us. 2 Peter 3:9 says He isn’t slow but patient because He doesn’t wish that any should perish. That’s the kind of love that is in us.

Now, granted, when we forgive, Satan is quick to remind us of an offense, if we have to live or work with that person. It's in that moment we must speak back to Satan and remind him we have forgiven and then refuse to meditate on the memory of the offense. Follow up with prayer for that person. Do what God would do…love him or her. If you do it from the heart and with a sincere desire to become more like Christ, then the devil will lose his ability to push your buttons.

It isn’t easy, but the good things in life seldom are. Come and join me as we become more and more like Christ, walking as ambassadors of the Heavenly Kingdom .

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