We're all guilty of doing this at least once. We're human. It happens because none of us are perfect. But that's no excuse and it's not right. God dealt with my heart on this tonight. Someone hurt me a while ago and I never forgave that person. I just kept sweeping it under the rug whenever it came up. But I realized that when you don't forgive someone, it keeps you from God and all He has for you. It's sometimes hard to let go of things. But we have to let them go! We need to forgive others as God has forgiven us.
Ephesians 4:32 says, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Matthew 6:14-15 says, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Whoa! That's some heavy stuff right there. Some food for thought. If you forgive others, God will also forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, God won't forgive you either. There's consequences for everything we do. Good and bad. We need to realize this. Consequence for not forgiving others for their trespasses? God won't forgive your trespasses.
So many times we think if we could just get back at the person who hurt us it'll make us feel much better. Well I don't know about you, but I've done that and ended up feeling even worse.
1 Peter 3:9 says, "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."
It says it all right there! Don't repay evil for evil. Forgive and God will bless that.
Forgive. That's all there is to it.
