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

The hardest thing we do as a person, is to extend forgiveness to another, yet we are never more like God than when we do. Forgiveness is easy to talk about, but hard to live through, because we are often being controlled by the emotions of the situation. I continue to be reminded of Romans 12:17-21 as I struggle through this important truth. Romans 12:18 reminds me, “As much as is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” I must understand that I can NOT always live at peace with people, but I can learn to allow the emotions of the events to subside as I learn to allow God to work in the lives of those who have sinned against me. I do not have to work to “get even,” and I do not have to allow their actions to control my life.As we learn to give things over to the Lord, we find the strength to tackle the hard things oin life. We can know that God will deal with those who sin against us, in ways that we cannot begin to understand, and while it is difficult to process, it is not … READ MORE