The word forgiveness draws various reactions. If we’re talking about God’s forgiveness of us, it can be a soothing topic resulting in gratitude and peace. If we need to seek forgiveness from someone we’ve wronged, we might wrangle a bit with our pride before we finally approach that person in humility—but our resulting cleared conscience makes it well worth the effort.
Usually, however, the most uncomfortable kind of forgiveness is what we must extend to someone who has wronged us or hurt us deeply. The Bible says a lot about this kind of forgiveness—perhaps because our emotions arm wrestle with it and other lingering memories skirmish with it. It’s really hard to do.
Find out what God’s Word says about forgiveness, how essential it is to understand, and how to actually do it...if we want to grow in our walk with God.
When you don’t deal with the trash from your past, it can eat away at you like an army of locusts. God is not waiting to condemn you for past wrongs. He’s waiting to embrace and forgive you. He meets you where you’re at today.
Allowing grace to flow freely means we let others be. You look different? We let you look different. You don’t dress like others? That’s fine, dress like you want to. That’s what grace is all about. Here are some traps we can fall into if we’re not careful.
Grace is a foreign concept to us because the world doesn’t operate based on grace. It trends towards criticism and judgment. Grace says, “I forgive you...I accept you as you are...I value you.”
Have you ever seen a dog reach the end of his leash? Once he does he comes straight to a halt. We all reach the end of our own figurative leashes with each other and with God at one point or another. The good news is God will always forgive us and always extend His grace to us, no matter what. We just need to accept it. Now shouldn’t we do the same with others?
Grace is undeserved. You can’t earn it, it’s free, and you can never pay God back. All you have to do is admit your need and receive God’s grace. That’s how a gift works—you simply accept it.
Is there an offense you can’t forget? Write down that hurt, bring that paper to the cross, and etch FORGIVEN across it. Ask your Lord to fill the holes in your heart and help you press on.
I’m wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. These 12 simple words can add a whole new dimension to your marriage. Humility is an attitude—of the heart and of the mind. It puts the other person first.
Darkness is just the absence of light. But isn’t it amazing that no matter how dark darkness may get... it can never extinguish the light? God is light, and no amount of darkness can obliterate that light.
For nearly 25 years, Charlie has been the “voice” of Pastor Chuck Swindoll in the Arabic language, offering the grace of Christ to anyone who will receive it. And despite geopolitical unrest, he and the IFLM Arabic team will continue doing so according to the strength supplied by the grace of Christ.
Have you ever been given a gift you needed but didn’t want? We’ve all received disappointing gifts. But there are gifts, which never disappoint. They’re often unseen gifts like forgiveness, compassion, grace, understanding, and kindness. And they’re priceless.
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Insight for Living is committed to excellence in communicating the truths of Scripture and the Person of Jesus Christ in an accurate, clear, and practical manner so that people will come to an understanding of God’s plan for their lives, as well as their significant role as authentic Christians in a needy, hostile, and desperate world.
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