Forgiveness

This is a hard one for me.  I think that with our condition this becomes especially hard because no one seems to understand.  A lot of the time, insensitive comments are made and gossip is spread.  When someone knows and they make a hurtful comment it hits in such a personal way that you feel like there is no coming back, let alone forgiveness (atleast that's how I feel).  I start to feel naked and vulnerable.


The Bible gives us plenty of example of forgiveness, one of the more famous ones, is where the King forgives the enormous debt of his servant, yet the servant go beats up the man who owes him money. 

  Matthew 18:21-35  Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’  The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
   “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.  He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
   “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
    “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.  When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
   “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’  In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
   “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

What about when Jesus died on the cross, when our sins put Him there?
 
Luke 23:34  Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The truth is we are called to resemble Christ.  The truth is we called to forgive no matter how big and how personal it gets.  The truth is we are suppose to forgive no matter how many times it happens (490 is just a symbol for a lot.)

Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Forgiving someone doesn't mean that it stops hurting...it just means you don't hold it against them.

Matthew 5:44  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

(The love chapter)
 
1 Corinthians 13:5  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

I pray that the Lord give us all strength to forgive those who have sinned against us.  Hope you all are having a painless or less painful day!