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 loose 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

I will forgive you this time, but don’t do it again!” These are words we often say to those who have done something against us. But what is the Biblical principle of forgiveness? According to Matthew 18:21-22, we are to forgive someone as often as they sin against us, remembering how often we struggle with sin against God, and seek His forgiveness. We read this and think, it so difficult to do this, and how is this possible? The reason this is possible in the life of the believer is because we have the Holy Spirit which enables us to do the things that seem impossible to the natural mind. While it is true that we do not have to be vulnerable to a flippantly stated “sorry”. We must be willing to acknowledge a heartfelt request for forgiveness. Unlike God, we can not evaluate the heart, we can only respond to the words of the repentant, as a result we are to trust the person into the hands of an omniscient God, who will work in their hearts to bring growth and change.… READ MORE