FORGIVEN PEOPLE FORGIVE

Forgiveness is never easy, but it is one of the clearest demonstrations of the grace of God at work within our lives. Left to ourselves, we naturally want justice, revenge, or for the person who hurt us to experience the same pain they caused us. Yet the Gospel calls us to a different way of living. We are not called to respond as the world responds but as Christ has responded to us.

Paul writes, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Our forgiveness of others is rooted in God's forgiveness of us. Before we ever chose Him, Christ chose to go to the cross for our sins. He did not wait for us to deserve mercy. He freely offered it because of His great love.

Revenge only keeps our hearts imprisoned. It feeds bitterness, prolongs anger, and prevents us from walking in the freedom Christ has already purchased for us. Forgiveness, however, breaks those chains. It does not excuse the wrong that was done, nor does it pretend the hurt never existed. Instead, it places the situation into God's hands and trusts Him to deal with it in His perfect justice.

Jesus also teaches, MATTHEW 6:14 (ESV), “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” A forgiving heart is evidence of a life that has truly understood the mercy of God. Those who have experienced His forgiveness should desire to extend that same grace to others.

One of the hardest but most practical steps towards forgiveness is prayer. It is difficult to remain bitter towards someone while sincerely bringing them before the Lord. Pray for their wellbeing. Pray that God would work in their life. Pray that He would bless them and draw them to Himself. You may not feel like praying those prayers at first, but ask God to give you the strength and willingness to do so. As you pray, you will often find that He begins changing your own heart as much as He is working in theirs.

Forgiveness is not always a single moment. Sometimes it is a daily decision to surrender the hurt back to God until your heart is no longer controlled by it. Every act of forgiveness is another step towards the freedom that Christ desires His people to enjoy.

Choose forgiveness because Christ first forgave you.

Choose freedom instead of bitterness.

And ask the Lord to give you the grace to love others in the same way He has so graciously loved you.