Recently my pastor, pastor Joe, gave a sermon in his series on forgiveness mentioning the seven blessings of forgiveness. It was simple and easy to understand. Firstly, forgiveness deflects self-pity or pride. Secondly, forgiveness shows mercy by holding back what the other person deserves.Thirdly, forgiveness restores the joy of the relationship. Fourthly, forgiverness affirms love.Fifthly, it proves obedience.God has told us to forgive others. Sixthly, it restores fellowship. And lkast of all, it doesn't give Satan a foothold in our lives. It stops sin.
More can be found concerning PAstor Joe and his fellowshipo at ACTS, a Church That Studies by going to the website http://www.achurchthatstudies.org/. You may find soem videos there that will help.
Humans are not simple. They are complex. It is my belief that God has spoken. We need to listen. In For Your Information I will be helping you with tools to do just that. Feel free to add comments. Let's make this a dialogue.
Showing posts with label Forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forgiveness. Show all posts
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Forgive? Who Me?
True forgiveness is hard. Oh, some may say, I forgive.But do they? The forgiver must be fit to forgive. It is not true forgiveness if you are not willing. And I am not talking about group forgiveness.
By that, I mean, it is not a group of people forgiving another person for an act of mass murder. This brings to mind all the shootings here in the United States where a gunman comes in and empties his gun on a group of students. Then the other students say they forgive him. No, that is false forgiveness. In that case the students who are alive don't have the right to forgive. The deed was not done to them.
You can only forgive a deed done against you personally. God forgives us because our deed, our sin, is toward Him.
It is easy for a person to ask for forgiveness and very hard for the other person to forgive. True forgiveness cannot be granted until the perpetrator has earned it.. by that I mean, he must confess, repent and do restitution. Every deed has a effect. Every deed leaves a footprint.
Forgiveness does not mean to forget what the other has done. You can forgive but not forget. Forgiveness is not based on forgetting. If you forget the same thing may happen again. Remember the slight so that you can be careful not to do that thing again.
But do your forgiveness with kindness. Don't seek to pay back in kind. We are not talking a tooth for a tooth here. We are talking allowing God to get into the picture and dispensing what needs to be dispensed.
More later.
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