The Freedom of Forgiveness

“Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” Matthew 18:21-22

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:29-32

What is one of the greatest hindrances to maintaining a close relationship with someone else? Well, there may be many things which strain our friendships and family ties, but wouldn’t you agree that an unforgiving spirit is a gigantic obstacle? We have all been hurt by others. We have all said things we later regretted, things that left someone else hurting and unsure of our love and acceptance.

The last thing you may be interested in doing is to attempt to show love, forgiveness, and acceptance to that person. What do you do when you run out of your ability to accept or love someone else? Do you just quit? Do you just ignore them?

As a child of God, you have His resource available with which to get beyond this obstacle. There is a point in our lives when we realize that we are powerless and empty. Then and only then do we really rely upon God as our Strength and our Source. Through the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit, God is able to pour into your life the missing ingredient - most often, love.

Paul expressed it this way: “Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philippians 4:11). Allow God to love others through you.