…and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."Matthew 6:12, 14 & 15-NLT
Jesus taught us to pray, "forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." G.o.d is a G.o.d of mercy, but this issue of forgiveness is really important to Him. In His Word, He tells us repeatedly that if we want mercy, we have to give mercy. We are willing to keep taking and taking forgiveness from G.o.d but it"s amazing how little we want to give forgiveness to others.
In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus told a story about a servant who owed a tremendous amount of money to his master and was forgiven of it. But then the servant went out and began to choke another servant who owed him only a small sum of money, threatening to have him thrown in prison if he didn"t pay up immediately. The other servant begged for more time to come up with the money but was thrown in prison anyway. When the other servants heard about it, they told the master, who called the merciless servant and said to him, "How dare you leave my presence after receiving my forgiveness for such a huge amount and go directly out and be unforgiving with someone else for such a paltry amount!"
In verse 34 of Matthew 18, Jesus said that the master turned the unfortunate servant over to the torturers, or the jailers, until he paid his debt in full. When we refuse to forgive people, we are the ones who end up in a prison of emotional torment. We hurt ourselves much more than we hurt anyone because we harbour bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness towards a person; we are miserable. At the end of that story, Jesus warned His audience, "So also My Heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother (and sister too) from your heart his/her offences." If you want to be used by G.o.d, learn to forgive.
But then, what evokes that unforgiving spirit in us? Anger, Rage, Fury! But then James 1:19 says that as teens for G.o.d, we should be swift to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry; moreover, we should not let the sun go down while we are still angry (Ephesians 4:26); in other words, forgive quickly; how many times? Seventy times seven, thus said the Lord (Matthew 18:21-22)
Often, people use phrases like, "I"ve forgiven but I can never forget"; that"s not forgiveness, it is sugar-coated, untamed anger. When you truly forgive, you totally forget and accept whoever offends you, and you start all over on a new slate. Forgiveness doesn"t mean you are feeble; it means you are strong enough to let go of the hurt you feel. It tells that you"ve got a large heart to receive people back. People find it hard to forgive because they"ve got devilish anger in them. Anger"s not sinful but when it"s extended/unnecessarily prolonged, it then becomes unjustified and devilish. Even Jesus got angry at some point (see Matthew 21:12-19).
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for G.o.d"s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NIV)
Romans 12:17-21
As teens, we usually have this urge not to be cheated by anyone or anything, we want to pay back whatever wrong deed done to us, we can"t be outsmarted/outwitted or so we feel; Jesus says we are to pray for those who despitefully use us and bless those who curse us. That is hard, but there"s something harder-being full of hatred, bitterness and resentment. Don"t spend your life hating someone who is probably out there having a good time while you are all upset. #word#
After been falsely accused, severely tortured and maltreated, one of the great things Jesus said before dying on the cross for our sins was: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34 NIV)… now, that"s the height of forgiveness. Learn.
Jesus said to turn the other cheek
He also said to forgive 7 times 70
Easy for Him to say
He was G.o.d
Or at least the son of G.o.d
How do I get to the place
Where I forgive those
Who disrespect me and malign me
Those who could care less about my feelings
Yet I still care about theirs
Why is forgiveness so hard
Why does it take so much out of you
Why is it easier to hold on to a grudge
Rather than to let it go
Am I doing something wrong
If it is true that we are to love others
As we love ourselves
And we stay mad at ourselves
For our misdeeds and misdoing
Is it realistic to easily forgive someone
If you extend the olive branch
Of friendship and kindness and forgiveness
And it is not returned
Should you really keep trying
Even if you feel it is a lost cause
Or will persistence win the day
With the honesty and sincerity of words
Be recognized and acknowledged
Followed by a reasonable attempt
To let bygones be bygones
Is this one of the famous battles
Between head and heart
With both having opposing views
But the same hold on your psyche
Neither winning, neither losing
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Sometimes I wonder
If our lack of ability to forgive
Is truly more rooted in our
Bruised ego and hurt feelings
Perhaps the pain we feel is comforting
If I were to release my anger and my pain
Only to be knocked again
Who becomes the bigger fool
Me for trying
Or them for doing
I wish that such matters were as easy
As a game of tic-tac-toe
Or perhaps it is
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose
Neither happens if you don"t take a chance
So I resolve to forgive
To be the bigger and better person
Give of myself as I would want others
To give to me
And perhaps this time everyone will win.
Chuck Smoot