"Perhaps a lifestyle of unforgiveness is rooted in the sin of forgetfulness. We forget that there is not a day in our lives that we do not need to be forgiven. We forget that we will never graduate from our need for grace. We forget that we have been loved with a love we could never earn, achieve, or deserve. We forget that God never mocks our weakness, never find joy in throwing our failures in our face, never threatens to turn his back on us, and never makes us buy our way back into his favor." -Paul Tripp
Forgiveness is so difficult when you feel hurt or that you have been treated unfairly, or worse. I often feel like Peter crying to Jesus- "How many times do I have to let someone sin against me, before I can stop forgiving them?" And Jesus is right there, kind and patient, saying, "70 x 7" Ok, well I am pretty sure I have forgiven this person AT LEAST 490 times! And I know the answer...When you forgive, you don't keep count, or you haven't forgiven. I know if Jesus kept tabs on how many times He has forgiven me I far surpassed 490. Oh, but that pain, that hurt, how can I forgive when it constantly is there to stab me? How do I heal from that? All I know to do is remember how much God has forgiven me for, and keep striving for a merciful memory like His. To forgive and never need to bring it to memory again.
Psalm 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Forgiveness is so difficult when you feel hurt or that you have been treated unfairly, or worse. I often feel like Peter crying to Jesus- "How many times do I have to let someone sin against me, before I can stop forgiving them?" And Jesus is right there, kind and patient, saying, "70 x 7" Ok, well I am pretty sure I have forgiven this person AT LEAST 490 times! And I know the answer...When you forgive, you don't keep count, or you haven't forgiven. I know if Jesus kept tabs on how many times He has forgiven me I far surpassed 490. Oh, but that pain, that hurt, how can I forgive when it constantly is there to stab me? How do I heal from that? All I know to do is remember how much God has forgiven me for, and keep striving for a merciful memory like His. To forgive and never need to bring it to memory again.
Psalm 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
RSS Feed