Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself, because when you let go and lay the 
offense aside, the other person is no longer hanging around in your mind taunting you. The main person you hurt when not forgiving, is yourself. Give yourself the gift of obeying God today, forgive and lay aside, trusting Jesus to give you the blessing of His Peace.
In the heat of a crisis I once met with a woman who was spouting off every word in the book about her ex-husband. She had clearly been hurt, was openly angry, and was certainly holding a heart-full of unforgiveness towards him. Though she had been divorced for 8 years, this guy still lived in her brain every single day, distracting her with anger and bitterness.
As I listened, I knew that she would be forever stuck if she did not DO something different. And, from experience I knew that the “something different” she needed to do was to make a choice to forgive the offenses that she had endured in her relationship with him.
I understand this kind of choice because I have been in similar situations. Is it hard? YES. Do I usually WANT to do it? No! Why then would I do what I don’t want to do?
Simply because usually what comes naturally to me is the very thing that God wants to challenge, change, and conform to more of His Spirit’s life within me. Staying bitter, or holding someone at bay, is what comes naturally to me. But, this is clearly not God’s will. So when this women asked me to give her one good reason WHY she should forgive her ex-husband, I simply stated, ” because Jesus said to.”
All things that Jesus requires of us a Christ followers involve choice. We get to choose if we will give Christ that much authority in our lives or not. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But, it’s true. Many of us, as Christians, spend a lifetime of holding on to hurts, bitter feelings, unjustices and the like. This tight grip on the hurt keeps us from receiving God’s best for us. His abundance of life, held out to us daily, involves receiving the Truth and having the courage to make the choice to walk in it.
Jesus will meet you at the crossroads of love and hate. He can and is willing to do a miracle of forgiveness in you. Ask Him.
Today’s Truth: 3:12-13
“As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Key Points
- We are different now that we are His
- We are chosen, for HIS purposes, Chosen Women
- Because we are different, we are to live differently
- Part of that difference is reflected in: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness.
- We are to choose forgiveness over hate, forgiveness over our own rights, forgiveness over unkindness.
Do you like gifts? I do. In fact gifts are my love language.
The best gift I can give myself is to choose to live God’s way. When I do, I have peace of mind and heart. My life stays uncluttered with things I can’t control anyway, and God has my attention.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, Sometimes I just don’t want to do things your way. I am sorry for that. In the end though, YOU, is what I really want. I want more of Jesus, less of me, and to be filled with the knowledge of your will. Today I choose YOU, and Your Way in my life.
Just wanted to say, Amen to your prayer for today. Your words still run through my mind when I don’t feel like doing what is Biblical… Like forgive. And I said, “Really, Debbie, Why should I?” And you responded, “Because Jesus said to”. OH, That… I said. I do appreciate your loving reminders and correction.
Thank you again.