Peter came to Jesus and asked this question, "Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seventy times?" Jesus answered Peter and said, "Not seven times but seventy times seven." Matthew 18:21-22That's a lot of forgiving!
Jesus goes on to tell a story of a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Several years ago our family went through a very difficult and challenging time. It seemed as though every direction we turned our world was falling apart. People we had loved dearly and cared for had turned against us for no reason. They began spreading rumors, that held no truth, causing great division in our family and ministry. I had begun to build a wall around my heart thinking it would take the pain away, however, it only made things worse. Over time my heart was not only filled with pain but unforgiveness had creeped in as well.
I knew this verse and had quoted it many time when teaching the Bible...however, it wasn't until I faced this difficult time in my life that I came to know and understand the depths of what Jesus was saying.
As I was praying, talking to God, one day I was reminded of the words Jesus spoke to Peter long ago ... "Unless you forgive from your heart your heavenly Father will not forgive you."
Forgive from the heart? I don't even know what that means, I told God.
All at once my mind began to fill with other passages from the Bible...
A man by the name of Stephen was being stoned for His boldness for Christ Jesus. "While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died. Acts 7:59-60
I said to God, "Did you answer his prayer?"
Then my mind went to Jesus on the Cross... "When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals --- one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:33-34
Again I asked God, "Did you answer His prayer? Of course you did, He's your Son!"
Then it hit me...To forgive from the heart was to be able to say, "Father, these people have hurt meet deeply. I forgive them and I ask You to forgive them as well. And Father, Do Not Judge Them For What They Have Done!"
Let me tell you that was a bit more than I could handle at that time because the pain and the hurt was so deep within my heart. But I knew if I wanted to make it to heaven I needed to forgive everyone of them, from my heart.
I began praying right then, naming each one and professing my forgiveness for what they had said and done, asking God to forgive them and not judge them. The first 28 went pretty well until I reached the last person, it was there I froze.
I found myself saying to God, "But You have no idea what they have done...Oh, yes You do." "But God, You don't know how bad this hurts!...Oh, yes You do." No matter what excuse I came up with to not forgive this person I found I had no excuse.
You see Jesus knows what it's like to be hated, lied about and mistreated even to the point of death. And He choose to Forgive From The Heart.I must confess it took me three days to work through that last person. But with God's help I was able to forgive them and move on with my life.
I know personally how deep the pain can go when others hurt you. I also know they go on with their lives while we are the ones who struggle in the pain of what has been said or done. When we choose to forgive we no longer feel as though we are dragging them every where we go.
If people have hurt you, lied about you...ask God to help you forgive them and move on with your life. You may even have to forgive yourself. He will help you every step of the way.
I pray for you today. Father God in heaven, I ask that Your presence will be with those reading this blog. May they come to realize that by forgiving others they too can be forgiven. Let them know Your deep love for them today. In Jesus name, Amen!
If you have any questions concerning forgiveness or would like to know how you can forgive others or receive forgiveness for yourself please contact me at:
Pottstown, PA 19465
610-323-0480
www.calvarychristian.info
Feel free to e-mail me:
Cindy Mckinley at:
mckinleyclm@gmail.com
Check out some of my other blogs:
Go Away Jesus! http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/11/go-away-jesus.html
It's All God's Fault! http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/08/its-all-gods-fault_13.html
How Did I Miss That? http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-did-i-miss-that.html
Transition vs. Transformation http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/04/transition-vs-transformation.html
All Scripture used in my blogs comes from the Word of God which is the Holy Bible.
