Be kind. Give
up the desire to get back at those who hurt you—give up the resentment.
Forgive. That is forgiveness, pure and simple. Stop being angry with others…be
kind to them from your heart—tenderly.
God has
forgiven me so much, how could I not forgive someone who has offended me? It
reminds me of a parable that Jesus told about the unmerciful servant—right after
He told Peter to forgive seventy times seven. In Matthew 18: 23-35 a servant is
to repay his master, but can’t. When he pleads with his master, the master
forgives him the debt. But that miserable servant goes to his fellow servant
and has him thrown into jail for a much smaller debt that is unpaid. So ultimately
the unmerciful, miserable servant gets tortured for his lack of mercy with his
fellow servant. God want us to forgive other—because He has forgiven us.
Additionally in Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus taught, …for if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your
Father will not forgive your transgressions. Oh, my. We must forgive others
or we will not be forgiven. That is powerful. Do you want to be forgiven…then
forgive others. That is right after the Lord’s prayer. Check it out.
Training Tip – Read the Lord’s Prayer with your children and the
two verses that follow it. (Matthew 6:9-15). Talk about how God is powerful and
can forgive our mistakes and hurts—but we have to forgive those who hurt us.
Help them to memorize the Lord’s Prayer this week, if they have not already
memorized it. You may even want to use it as a meal time blessing at least once
a week.
Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy
name. You are an awesome God and I worship and praise You with all of my heart,
soul and mind. Forgive me, as I have forgiven those who have hurt or offended
me.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
© 2013 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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