Forgiveness Matters

 

    The greatest need that every person has is to be forgiven.  We have all sinned.  That means we have all hurt other people, ourselves, beloved animals, earth, and God.  We all have done thoughtless, selfish, and harmful things that need to be forgiven.

    A true friend is compassionate.  They will do what it takes to lead a person to Christ, so that the person can learn true forgiveness.  Once you find genuine forgiveness, it changes your world forever.  To ignore the invitation of forgiveness is a burden you place on yourself.  Jesus is there.  He is ready for you.  

    Forgiveness is how you exercise your faith.  It is motivated by God, not yourself.  You forgive in response to how Jesus forgave you.  Forgiveness is powerful.  It heals more than what you can see.  It heals broken hearts.  God's forgiveness heals broken souls.  

    Forgiveness matters because it bring awareness to a need that was hidden.  It is hard because you have to see sin as sin.  You have to acknowledge that you have sinned and that it is a part of you.  You have to realize that it is sin that makes your physical and spiritual life lifeless.  

    Sin is the problem, so we can't ignore or minimize it's impact.  Sin is a transgression or violation toward God.  It has consequences that affect the people around you.  It affects all that you love.  It sometimes even affects the ground on which the violation occurred (aka murder).  Sin is not a character flaw.  It is what destroys your character.

    This is why forgiveness matters to every single person, even if they never admit to it.  Life is hard, but it is a gift.  Don't squander that gift by not learning how to forgive.  Don't ruin what is so precious about life by pretending you are not part of the problem.  

    One day you will face your sins.  You can face them now and find true forgiveness or after death and face judgment.  Humble yourself to seek forgiveness and possibly face consequences now and you will find mercy.  Prayer is a key to forgiveness.  It also opens up mercy.  

    Resist pride and rebellion that want to stop you from being honest with yourself and God.  It is better to plead for forgiveness than to hold your tongue in pride because you will loose everything you truly care about if you are not willing to admit that you are wrong.

    Forgiveness is not passive.  It takes action.  It is backing up your words with commitment and follow through.  It requires releasing some things that you may want to hold onto because you don't want to be hurt.  The truth is holding onto the painful past is more painful than letting go.  You can forgive people and give them time to earn your trust back at the same time.  You can forgive people and try to restore the relationship, but you can also evaluate on if the relationship is one that you want to continue committing yourself to be in.  

    Accept God's forgiveness and you can see miracles in your life.  Jesus healed more than the physical in his miracles.  He healed the core to their soul.  He forgave their sin.  He also taught us how to love those that hate us.  The Pharisees hated him.  He confronted them.  He called them out.  He never hurt them other than their pride.  Yet, he also did not let them into his inner circle because he knew that there was no purpose and it would cause more harm than good for his true followers.

Isaiah 59:1-3, Mark 2:1-12, Acts 13:38-41, & Ephesians 2:1-3