While most of us understand that we are to forgive others for their sinful words and actions against us. Many of us do not know what that looks like. We have heard the adage “forgive and forget,” but when we attempt to forgive we find that forgetting is very difficult if not impossible because of the emotions that are involved in the incident. Today, I want to encourage you with the knowledge that forgiving is not necessarily forgetting (although with time that can happen), forgiveness is primarily a choice not to hold someone accountable for their words and actions. We are choosing instead to treat the person as if they never did or said those things. In Psalm 103:12, God reminds us that “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” We also read in Jeremiah 31:34 that the Lord says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” The point here is that when we are tempted to dwell on the sin of others against us, we choose not to allow our thinking to go there, we remember that we have extended to the … READ MORE

Have you ever thought this way concerning forgiveness, “But I don’t want to forgive them, it is not fair!” Yet the only person who can remove the debt that is owed is the one who holds the title to the debt. Only we have the power and ability to remove the guilt that comes from sinful behavior. We must understand that forgiveness always costs the forgiver more than the forgiven. The forgiven has nothing to lose in asking for forgiveness, but for the forgiver, we have to give up the right to our “pound of flesh”. But the motivation for that forgiveness is love. It starts with our love for God, who loved us enough to send His son to die so that we could have our relationship restored. And then moves to our love for people. This comes as we recognize that no one is perfect, and we all struggle with the same issue, SIN. It is this truth that should encourage us to extend to others, what we ask God to extend to us …. forgiveness. Forgiveness, is one way we can determine how much we love God, and others, it becomes a measuring stick for us to … READ MORE

One of my favorite passages when considering whether I should forgive someone or not is Romans 12:17-21. Emotions are hard to overcome, when people sin against us, and it is comforting for me to realize that God can take care of the situation. I do not have to allow my emotions to control my actions, because God will deal with the offender. Therefore, I can rest and wait on the Lord in this matter. There is nothing better than learning to live at peace with all people, and not allowing yourself to be overcome with your desire for revenge.… READ MORE