We're Forgiven

God is so good, isn’t He?!! We have been Blessed, Redeemed, Accepted, Adopted, Forgiven, Chosen and Loved!! What more could a child of God ask for?

Today, I want to talk about Forgiveness! When I think of forgiveness, two words come to mind; peace and freedom! It is a wonderful feeling when you ask forgiveness from someone whom you have offended and feel the weight being lifted off your shoulder!

One of my favorite stories in the bible of “forgiveness” is the story of Joseph! If you haven’t read it lately, I recommend that you do! It’s an amazing story of a young man who endured a lot because of his jealous brothers. He was thrown into a pit to die and when that didn’t work, his brothers sold him into slavery. Later he would be falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison!! I don’t know if I could have those things happen to me and not be bitter and angry, but Joseph was never bitter or angry once! He had so much love and forgiveness towards his brothers and at the end of this amazing story, ends up saving his whole family from a drought, including his brothers who had done him so terribly wrong!! One of the most remarkable statements that Joseph made is Genesis 50:20. Joseph says, “But as for you (his brothers) you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day to save much people alive!!” After all that had been done to him, he wouldn’t allow the seed of unforgiveness to grow. He stayed faithful and God richly blessed his life!

Colossians 3:12-13 says, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

When I think of forgiveness, I am reminded of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who was beaten, spit upon, tortured, mocked, a crown of thorns was placed on His head, and nails were put in his hands and feet, and if that wasn’t enough, He had ALL of our sins placed on His shoulders! As He hung there on the cross, dying for you and me, He turned to His Father and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”[a] (Luke 23:34) What love and forgiveness He had for us.

We are forgiven because He was forsaken!!! Praise the Lord!!



How many of you reading this letter has been hurt before? One thing we need to know is we are going to get hurt and people are going to let us down. The important thing is what we do after they hurt us. That’s what I want to focus on. God has graciously forgiven us of EVERYTHING! So, why is it so hard sometimes to forgive others?

Forgiveness is the willingness to give up your resentment toward someone who has wronged you, regardless of how serious or painful that wrong might have been. Forgiveness is more than just saying words; it must come from the heart.

Unforgiveness, on the other hand, is a deliberate mindset to do the opposite—to resent the wrong and the wrongdoer, and to seek revenge.

Ephesians 4:30-32 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Paul is clear here that we must not hold on to bitterness, anger, and malice. These things are associated with an unforgiving spirit. Paul says to be gentle, forgiving one another, and kind-hearted!

Unforgiveness is a bitter root that if left, will destroy your spiritual life and will keep you from being the person God wants you to be, and keep you from doing His will.

Matthew 6:15 says, “If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” In Matthew 18:22, Jesus tells us that we must forgive “seventy times seven,”.

The consequences of unforgiveness are very clear. If we don’t forgive, we won’t be forgiven! Wow, Jesus is pretty clear here! Unforgiveness will make us bitter and affect everything we do or say! Our prayer life, our friendships, our worship, and as crazy as it sounds, unforgiveness can even affect our physical health!!

I have seen first-hand what happens to a person who holds on to unforgiveness. It reminds me of a tornado; it destroys everything in its path. I have seen people in such bondage because of unforgiveness towards another person. The sad thing is it’s a “spiritual killer!”

We must deal with this immediately and remove it from our life if we want to be a successful Christian! We shouldn’t allow anything to stand in between us and God! The world is watching our life! Our children are watching and family and friends the same!! Unforgiveness is a sure way to damage your relationship with God and also be a stumbling block to others! If we are going to run the race that God has set before us, we must lay aside any weight that will slow us down. Unforgiveness will definitely slow you down!

Here is what we must do in order to be set free from unforgiveness. Acknowledge it as sin and confess it honestly and sincerely to God. Let go of your bitterness and anger and lay it at the feet of Jesus. Begin praying for that person and watch what it will do for you! Let the love of God and His forgiveness flow into your heart! Be tender-hearted and kind to everyone; forgiving as your Father has forgiven you!

The debt must be forgiven the same way our sins have been forgiven.



There are two kinds of people in the world; those who are forgiving and make things better and those who are unforgiving and become bitter. Which are you? Do you have unforgiveness against someone who has hurt you? If so, I pray that today you will ask God to release those chains that hold you back from being the person that God intended you to be. Yesterday is history! Let go and Let God do the rest!!

Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for your love and forgiveness that You have shown over and over again to us! We are truly so blessed to be called Your children!! I’m so thankful to know that You have cast our sins as far as the east is from the west, never to be brought up again!! Help us to learn to do the same to others when they hurt us! Help us to continue to run the race that You have set before us and run it to the best of our ability, laying aside anything that would hinder us! We love You Lord!!

In Jesus’ Name

Encouraged in Heart. . . United in Love

Jenny

II Timothy 1:12