Has someone ever hurt your feelings or done you wrong? My guess is that your answer is yes. Have you ever had trouble forgiving that person or persons? My guess is that your answer is also yes to that question. Don’t worry… I struggle with the same thing. This week’s verse is definitely convicting of forgiveness, and I’m sure it will do the same for you:
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” -Mark 11:25
Sometimes, forgiving someone can be tough. When I don’t want to forgive, I always try to remind myself of the forgiveness that Christ freely gave me. Jesus Christ was perfect; yet, He still died for my sins and completely forgave me of every sin that I have committed or will ever commit. In fact, when He forgives me, He casts my sins as far as the east is from the west! I’m undeserving of this grace. Jesus not only did this for me, but for every person who has ever or who will ever do wrong against me. This means that when someone does you wrong, remember that their sin has already been dealt with when Jesus died on the cross. We have no right to hold a grudge against that person. Jesus (who was perfect) freely forgives and doesn’t hold grudges, which means we should do the same. We should pray and ask for forgiveness and forgive that person as soon as we can, and that is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
One day, I was extremely hurt and upset by something that happened to me. I did not want to forgive. However, as soon as I got in my car, a song called “Losing” by Tenth Avenue North was on the radio. The lyrics definitely convicted me of my need to forgive those who had upset me so badly. I’ve posted the video below, and encourage you to watch it and listen to the lyrics.
diariesofadaughter.com 