The Blessing of Forgiveness
Most of the time when we think of forgiveness, we think of the forgiveness Christ gives to us through His death on the Cross. Surely, that is a wonderful experience of having the burden of sin lifted from our shoulders. There is nothing quite like it.
There is, however, another level of forgiveness. It is when one person forgives another person. Sometimes, we only think about the offending person being forgiven. That is not the only benefit. It is a great blessing for the offended person to get rid of that unresolved anger and bitterness. By forgiving the other person the offended one realizes a great relief, indeed.
I had that experience today when I was talking to a man. About a week and a half ago he had told me that he was so angry with a relative that he did not know what he would do, if he were to see him. I told him that he needed to let that anger go and forgive his relative. He said that he would work on it, but he was still burdened by it. The first thing he said to me today was that he had done what I said, and he had forgiven the man. His face lit up. He lifted his hands and proclaimed that he was set free. He went on to express his new-found spirit of contentment, too. I believe the peace of mind and contentment are only possible because of his willingness to forgive. What a blessing to see the results of his spiritual cleansing and release!
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 3-5 and Luke 20:1-26.
There is, however, another level of forgiveness. It is when one person forgives another person. Sometimes, we only think about the offending person being forgiven. That is not the only benefit. It is a great blessing for the offended person to get rid of that unresolved anger and bitterness. By forgiving the other person the offended one realizes a great relief, indeed.
I had that experience today when I was talking to a man. About a week and a half ago he had told me that he was so angry with a relative that he did not know what he would do, if he were to see him. I told him that he needed to let that anger go and forgive his relative. He said that he would work on it, but he was still burdened by it. The first thing he said to me today was that he had done what I said, and he had forgiven the man. His face lit up. He lifted his hands and proclaimed that he was set free. He went on to express his new-found spirit of contentment, too. I believe the peace of mind and contentment are only possible because of his willingness to forgive. What a blessing to see the results of his spiritual cleansing and release!
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 3-5 and Luke 20:1-26.