Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
"Forgive as the Lord forgave you." This is by far one of the hardest things for me to do. Saying I forgive you to someone and actually doing it are two totally different things. When someone does or says something hurtful, or disappoints me I sometimes struggle with actually forgiving them. The words "I forgive you" come out, but my heart remains unchanged. Later on the resentment or bitterness I feel reappears in the form of words or actions I may show. How can I call myself a Christ follower if I cannot forgive the smallest offense toward me and yet He can forgive me for all of my sins and offenses towards Him? This devotion has been very humbling. Just this week I have been tested by this and have truly had to be conscious in my feelings toward someone after an argument. After saying I forgive you I prayed about what happened, and handed it over to God. I immediately felt the situation and feelings associated with it being taken from me. The person I had the argument with is not a Christian and when I spoke with him the next day he was very surprised that I was not reigniting the argument or mad about what had happened. When he asked why I wasn't doing these things I was able to tell him about what my devotion had reminded me of and what the Bible says about forgiveness. What a great way to show how great our God is!! Truly forgiving others as the Lord forgave me brings peace to my heart and strengthens my faith in Him. I pray that we all may continue to remember His love for us and show it to others through our forgiveness towards them....just as He forgave us.
Great job Jessi! I truly believe that when we give it all over to Him, we truly see a difference. I am so proud of you for showing and expressing God's love toward that person. I also admire your sharing of God's forgiveness with him as well. Not everyone has the guts to do that when they know that person is not a Christian. Thank you for doing that and for sharing with us. Thank you for inspiring me today.
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