The Power of Forgiveness…
Which party does forgiveness benefit?
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” ~Luke 17:3-4 NKJB
When our brother or sister comes to us in humility and a posture of repentance the grace and mercy of the Lord is upon them. We are to honor and show the same as our Lord does when either comes to us seeking forgiveness. We should not be the one holding on to something that is now past. We should not keep a record of their sins as a weapon to be used against them. We should stand in their shoes, attempt to see the pain they are dealing with that brought the situation in the first place.
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We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
Loving like Jesus is not always easy, but it is always necessary. We may not be having the greatest day when someone approaches to seek forgiveness. In our weakened state is when we must remember to be closer to Jesus Christ than any other time. We must ask Him to lead, ask for His strength in our bones, in our heart and in our mind. It is only by His strength and power that we can move through any situation. It is not always easy to remember who is in charge. We want our own power when the truth is, we have none. We want our way, when the truth is, we are completely lost. We want the Truth to proceed in our life, when the fact is, we are to rely upon Jesus Christ, Emmanuel for all – the Way, the Truth and the Life.
How can we help and forgive others if we are weak, sick in Spirit and have no forgiveness in our heart to share? We can not. How can help our brothers and sisters in Christ with their pain when pain is all we know? How can we be a voice of reason when anger is one of our guidepost?
Drawing nearer to God, walking with Jesus Christ and recognizing the Holy Spirit in our life is the only we can marshal through the day. It is God Almighty that makes all things possible, including the breath in our lungs. Praise Him, humble ourselves and be willing to forgive as we have been forgiven.
Either the Scripture is the divine Word of God teaching us how to live and how to be a reflection of Him, or it’s nothing more than a historical account of events.
