THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS
Week 12
What does forgiveness mean?
The meaning of forgiveness is: The release of resentment or anger.
Forgiveness does not mean you have to return to a relationship if someone is hurting you or accept the same behaviors from that person. Forgiveness helps us to be free and have good mental health from the hurt we had in our hearts.
The Bible teaches us many examples of forgiveness, what it looks like, and why it is important for our lives. We all, at one point, have been made fun of, maybe bullied, or even physically hurt. It is hard for us in our human nature to forgive those who hurt us or forgive those who hurt someone we love.
Because we are hurt, sometimes our reactions reflect our feelings inside. This can be dangerous because we might try to hurt that person back. If you are hurt inside, you tend to have anger towards others. This can make us fall into a sad place that does not allow us to be happy. The gift of forgiveness that comes from love can allow you to be free from all the bitterness and heal from the hurt.
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Did you know that because of our sinful nature, we reject and deny God from the day we are born? Romans 3:23 says, “For all have fallen short of the glory of God”. All means all! We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way. (Isaiah 53:6) Proverbs 20:9 says, who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?” No one can say that. If that is the case, we need to settle our account of sin against our creator. We have become enemies of God and separated because of our offense towards him. God is the only one justified to go against his enemies because he is the only pure and holy One.
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One of the most amazing things about God’s character is His love towards us. Romans 5:8 is an amazing verse and it says, “but God demonstrates his own love for us in this way; while we were all sinners, Christ died for us. Wow! Think about that! Would you help someone or forgive those who have offended and sinned against you? God did it toward us! Our heavenly father knows that the best thing for our wellbeing, our mind, our heart, and our soul is for Christ to be our King and for us to be his people. That is why he did not withhold the gift of salvation and forgiveness of our sin from us.
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Think about it, God who created you wants you to know who he is. Knowing him gives you true life, but when we don't know him, we can be lead down a bad path. He loves us, and in wanting the best for us, he forgave us through the life of Jesus on the cross. 1st Peter 3:18 says, “for Christ also suffered once for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit”. He forgave! He Forgives! He is all Forgiving!
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This forgiveness has freed us from the slavery of bad choices and sin. This forgiveness has released us from God’s punishment towards His enemies. You are forgiven! He does not consider you his enemy because he only sees the perfect life of Jesus in us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior. God did all this for our freedom.
In the same way, we should forgive those who have sinned against us because this will also free us and heal us from a hateful and bitter heart. To forgive someone is for your own benefit because you are the one that is freed from the chains of pain. That is why the bible teaches us the importance of forgiveness. People today are destroying our country and each other because of the lack of forgiveness. It is not easy to do but asking Jesus to help us forgive like he forgives will enable us to do it. But if we deny God’s word we will see destruction over and over. Today I encourage you to be a light in the world by forgiving and teaching others to forgive.
