Someone cusses you out. Your friend creates vicious lies about you. A trusted confidante violates your trust. What is your response? Cuss them right back? Go off and give them a piece of your mind? End the relationship?
Well what I always thought was if someone did something wrong to me, that gave me every right to do it right back. They shouldn't have
committed the violation in the first place right? Right. The violation should have never
occurred. However, it did. Then what do you do?
Matthew 18:21,22
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
Now 70 times 7 is 490. So basically Jesus says that we should forgive someone 490 times, but oh on the 491st time its on? Nope. He's saying simply forgive. Don't count how many times they've pissed you off the past. Forgive.
Personally, this is difficult for me because if you make me mad or offend me, I really want to let you know what the deal really is, and why your
absence in my life would be advantageous for all applicable parties. But as my heart is becoming more like my Creator's, I can no longer be like that. I'm
so learning how to forgive for real! Now don't get it twisted. That doesn't mean that I can easily be taken advantage of. I'm trying to incorporate wisdom into this as well. But its like this; you've messed up. You've betrayed my trust. However, I have release you from the
punishment of being unforgiven because I want to be like Jesus. Not because I feel like releasing you, but because I have to in order to please God.
I'm pretty sure the Lord doesn't hold it against me everything time I tell Him I'll do something and don't follow through, or every time I make a mistake. When I come back to Him and say God I need this or that, God doesn't say "well, I don't know because you was real
triflin with me yesterday." Because He loved me, He saved me. Because He loves me, He keeps me. Not because I've made no mistakes, but because He just loves me. And I want that type of love to reside in my heart. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that real love keeps no record on wrongdoings. I've stopped keeping track.
A friend of mine thinks its crazy for me to be concerned about the affairs of someone who has crossed the line too many times, but I don't. If I don't help someone who has offended me because I don't believe they deserve or have earned my help, wouldn't the Lord hold me accountable for that? I believe that He would, and I'm not letting my emotions and stubbornness get in the way of my making to heaven. It isn't about being strong and standing up for yourself, and making the point that I'm not one to be messed with. It's about being like Jesus, and saying because I am a representative of the Father, I have to be available to His people as He wants me to be; a light, a vessel, and a symbol of His love.
Plus holding grudges takes so much energy. You're distracted when you're around that person because you replaying the hurtful situations and conversations in your mind. You can't seem to just forget about it, and that is because you haven't forgiven. We weren't created to walk around harboring bitterness and unforgiveness, regardless of the offense. And harboring those things in your heart will land you in hell right along with the liers and murderers. Jesus is coming back for a church without spot or wrinkle, and I'm guessing that unforgiveness is a big ugly spot to God.
Release those people against which you harbor unforgiveness. Not necessarily for that person, but so you can experience freedom to be available to love them as God loves you.
Here is a few helpful references:
Matthew 18:22
1 Corinthians 13:5
Ephesians 5:27
2 Chronicles 7:14
Jeremiah 31:34
Matthew 6:14
~A work in progress~
♥
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Kevin Levar
