Today's Inspiration: Fear is our greatest enemy and has to be conquered by love for love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18. To nurture the damaged trees of wrong done to us is to be a prisoner of the past. To refuse to forgive is also destructive. Unforgiveness choked the life out of marriage or out of family relationship and friendship. To avoid forgiving would mean imprisoning your emotions.
It costs the Lord Jesus at Cavalry to bring us forgiveness. If we are to bear the image of God we cannot afford not to forgive our offender. Forgiveness carries a condition that it starts with us first to forgive the offender. To accept God's forgiveness and to refuse to forgive our offenders is a wicked act as Jesus explained in the parable of unforgiven servant in Matthew 18:21-35. When you don't forgive and you choose to be bitter against the offender, you have made yourself a slave to the offender.
Forgiveness is a choice that is to be remade continually. This is why Jesus told Peter that even up to 70 x 7 times you need to forgive. God's grace does not free us from responsibility, on the contrary it creates obligation. Grace received means grace must be supplied. Ephesians 4:32 exhort us to be compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave us. God be praised.
Prayer: Lord let me be appreciative and thankful for Your dying on the cross for my forgiveness. Strengthen my grace to forgive and grant me wisdom to live out this forgiveness for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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