By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
MONDAY
THEME: THE TRUTH ABOUT FORGIVENESS
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:14
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
REFLECTIONS
Have you been hurt before? Has anybody caused you discomfort or shame or betrayed your confidence? Have you felt you have been slighted or maltreated by someone, a group of people, or by an association or organization you belong to? If you have, how did you react? How did you address your frustration and anger?
We have all been wounded and felt offended before. We have been upset with the conduct of people who were either close to or distant from us.
God forgives both the offender and the offended. He is the first to offer forgiveness. Humans naturally have no moral persuasion to forgive others when wronged. Revenge is dominant in our DNA and controls our emotions when hurt. Forgiving is complex and requires even unintended sacrifices—letting go of one’s pride, self-esteem, feelings of hurt, and inability to retaliate and seek revenge. Until the love of Jesus Christ touches a life, responding to the offender with retribution is normal.
The Lord, who alone forgives, urged believers to learn of Him and forgive others who hurt them. In Matthew 6:14, Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” He makes forgiving others a condition for being granted forgiveness from God. One cannot enjoy God’s forgiveness when unprepared to forgive others who hurt them. Humanly, forgiving an offender who does not care and is unrepentant is extremely painful and challenging. It is much easier to forgive a remorseful one. We always want to see genuine remorse and be able to render forgiveness from the heart. But Christ says, “Forgive men their trespasses.” This is a promise with a condition. The truth is that if you forgive, you will be forgiven.
Jesus urges us to forgive others because He wants us to enjoy the blessings of love. If we do not forgive and hold on to our hurts and disappointments, we may commit more sins and atrocities against our offenders. Christ implores us to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is (Matthew 5:48). Therefore, we should forgive others who offend us. Forgiving others is critical to being a true and faithful Christian. Anyone who cannot forgive is not Christ-like and cannot claim to be a Christian. PERIOD! The Christian is to live a life of forgiveness. Our sins will be forgiven as far as we can forgive others. Not forgiving is a sin. However, Psalms 66:18 declares: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.” Beloved, whatever the nature of the hurt you are going through, forgive so God can forgive you. You need forgiveness from Jesus to get your life back in the right direction. Like Christ, forgive without hesitation. May the Lord help you do this seemingly difficult appeal from Christ.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 282 – “I Hear Thy Welcome Voice”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for forgiving you your sins; thank God for the grace to forgive others; pray that you will not allow anyone to rob you of receiving forgiveness from Christ;
– Pray for families and individuals who are hurting and have vowed not to forgive; pray for church members who are aching because of some offenders to forgive for Christ’s sake;
– Pray for honest civil servants and all shades of workers; pray for genuine God-fearing entrepreneurs; pray for workplaces where the work climate is fraught with conflicts;
– Pray for the nation’s peace, unity, and prosperity; pray for God’s healing mercies for the sick; pray for at least five couples to grow their relationship by forgiving one another.
