Today’s Encouragement is Matthew 6:12,14-15 NLT [12] and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. [14] “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. [15] But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
If you forgive –
Some biblical truth is ‘hard truth’. It goes against our human nature to the point of irritation, grating, even pain. This is one such truth. “God forgives us – only – if we forgive!”
I don’t like this! It’s not how I want it to be! I want it to read differently… like ‘God forgives us completely and purely, regardless of how we treat others.’ But that is not what Jesus said!
My friends the Truth is – We must forgive others for what they have done, before God will forgive us for what we have done! Read it again, there’s no way around this ‘hard truth’.
Forgiveness is not an option for the believer! We don’t have the luxury of forgiving some things but holding on to the ‘unforgivable’ that each of us has suffered at one time or another.
Perhaps this explains the awe we experience when we hear about someone who sincerely forgave the horrific criminal who hurt them so deeply. We see the harmed one experience the joy of forgiveness, regardless of how the criminal responds. This forgiveness is setting free the one forgiving!
Father help us to see that we are set free when we forgive others! Help us to forgive Father, every wrong done to us, and be forgiven by Your Grace, completely set free!
Forgiveness
Matthew West
Today’s Encouragement 