READ Matthew 6:5-15
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
-- Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)
One of my class assignments was to create an inventory of people who had hurt me. Memories flowed in of the soccer player who intentionally stomped on my toes with his spikes, the baseball player who broke my bat and didn’t replace it, the college student who pointed a pistol at my head, the marine Sgt. Major who intentionally hit me twice playing squash, the men and women who had propositioned me over the years, and the work manager who said I’d be “eaten alive” if I took a job in his area. The list goes on and on.
Everyone has a list. My list may seem pretty tame compared to yours. The point is, what do we do with our list? In our reading for today, we learn that if we do not forgive those who have sinned against us, God will not forgive our sins.
Forgiveness is an act of the will. It means letting go of any resentment or blame we have against the person who hurt us, and asking God to not hold that sin against them (John 20:23). The result is that we’re released from any control that person has over us. The highest form of forgiveness is forgetting that the sin ever happened. God is able to do that, as recorded in Hebrews 8:12. However, that may not always be possible for us. The Bible teaches that love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5). So, while we may not forget how someone has hurt us, we don’t have to dwell on it (Isaiah 43:18-19).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs.
Prayer: Father in heaven, please help us to forgive those who have sinned against us.
Prayer Focus: THOSE WHO HAVE HURTS
Rick Stockwell is employed as an IT Program Manager. He teaches Sunday school for kindergartners, is an elder at his church, and is the author of two Christian novels: THE WALL and THE BATTLE. He's been married for thirty-four years, and has two children and five grandchildren.
Book link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07HQ8G3MJ
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