Forgive

Key verse: Col.3:12-13

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Read: Matthew 18:21-22

To forgive is to cease to feel resentment against another. It is natural for man to feel a sort of resentment against another person for acts done by the other that the man considers hurting. But many are times when the hurt felt by man is only presumptive and not borne out of actual fault of the other. In the days of scripture, Mephibosheth’s failure to follow David into exile when Absalom assailed him, made the king to assume albeit wrongly but based on the testimony of mischievous Ziba that was never crosschecked, that Mephibosheth being of the house of Saul also had the heart of an enemy. Meanwhile, the poor man neither shaved nor freshen up in sorrow of heart for the king while he was in exile. But, alas, the king had issued a decree giving his belongings to Ziba. Some have so hurt others unknowingly but the one that bore the hurt never stopped hurting and feeling resentment towards the unconscionable hurter.

Incidentally, under the law of Moses, it was right to avenge oneself. This law is not representative of God and His attribute of love. It portends the likelihood of people destroying one another all in the name of hurt albeit brought about in accidental matters or by mistake. This situation the Lord Jesus Christ came to correct. Hence, for everyone who is an elect of God by the grace we have in Christ, we are to carry in us the bowels of mercies, meekness and long suffering. We are to forbear and forgive. It is material to note that some people are rather recalcitrant and therefore considered toxic. Yet, to be like God, Christ enjoins us to keep forgiving their misdeeds almost indefinitely. Or, how can one person offend the other same person for seventy times seven times in a lifetime? Practically therefore, the injunction of Christ is to forgive no matter what.

To obey the injunction of Christ, since there is no way a man can be through life without offense, it is advisable to keep our hearts free from offense by assuming everyone is bound to offend and therefore forgive them in advance. Meaning, no matter what anyone does, you can never feel the hurt since you already forgave him. Please get rid of that hurt. Non-forgiving hinders prayers. Let go and let God.

Pray: Father, help me with your Spirit that I may be able to forgive all that offend me in Jesus name.