Here I Go Forgiving....AGAIN

A few years ago I was contacted by a friend of mine from Middle School via Facebook.  I was shocked because I had not spoken to him in years.  In his message to me he apologized to me for not standing up for me when I was being picked on in Middle School.  You can imagine my shock when i received this message.  At first I didn't know what to say.  Of course I forgave him.

It is sometimes easy to forgive people when it has been so long since the offense had happened.  In this case for me, it was easier to forgive.  But, it is not always that easy to forgive.  

As a child when I brothers and I would fight my mom would make us say sorry and forgive each other.  I remember saying apologizing and forgiving and then under my breath say that I didn't mean it.  I know now why my mom made us do that.  She wanted us to not only learn how to forgive each other, but by forgiving each other we are being obedient to God. 

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

The basis for believers forgiving each other is the fact that we ourselves have been forgiven by God.

When someone comes seeking your forgiveness, you have the obligation to grant forgiveness and extend mercy--even if the person has sinned against you repeatedly and regardless of the sin.  Your forgiveness of other is a prerequisite for your receiving God's forgiveness.   God DOES forgive us!

We forgive others if we don't want to disobey God and break our fellowship with Him. The Lord doesn't direct evil against us, though He may chose to allow us to go through a trial resulting from our own sinful choices or from the sinfulness of the world we live in.  

Another aspect of forgiving is forgiving ourselves.  We have to be willing to forgive ourselves.  Through forgiving ourselves, we open the door for God's glory and it provides a place for our own growth.  

Love it best ingredient for forgiveness.  Often the person wounded must forgive with an act of the will, giving time for working through feeling, and experiencing healing.  This is not always easy and it can take time.  

Forgiveness comes with the removal of past offenses from the mind, meditation on God's Word, giving our hurts over to God, praying for the offender (I know this is not always easy), and serving as a willing channel of God's grace.  Revenge is NOT an option because God has promised that He will take care of judgement. 

Meaningful forgiveness demands planning and thought.  Forgiveness is the willingness to search for new solutions.  We must be concerned with seeking forgiveness only for our wrong.  We have to remember that a forgiving attitude does not excuse self, defend self, or accuse others.  

Forgiveness is something that takes time.  It is not something that we can master over night, but with the help and the guidance of Christ, it is something that we can become better at doing. 

Seeking forgiveness frees you to receive God's mercy.  Showing mercy by a forgiving spirit brings blessings from God and gratitude from the one forgiven.  A forgiving spirit brings good to yourself and to others.

Britt Hatcher

Grace and Humility

As I began my Quiet Time (QT) this morning, God had impressed upon my heart grace.  Ah, I love talking about grace, it is one of my most favorite things.  I think that I enjoy it as much as I do because of the amount of grace that God has given me.

Over the past couple years, I have had circumstances that God has poured out His grace upon my life.  While being shown the amount of grace that I have been given, I sometimes stop and look at my life to see where I am showing grace to others.  Yikes!  I am embarrassed to say that sometimes I don't do that, but I am human and I make mistakes.

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."  I love that God has chosen to give this to us as a gift.  What a sweet and precious gift we are given.

As we are given this gift of grace by Christ, how often are we giving grace to others?  I am not saying that we need to let people take advantage of us, I am saying that just as Christ has shown us grace, we need to show grace to others.  What a great example that we have to follow!

So, how does humility fit into all of this?  James 4:6 "But he gives us more grace.  That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."  Grace is given to us as a gift, but humility is something that takes work.  God gives us grace in our lives when we need it the most.  Being humble in those situations when he does pour out grace, is a good thing because God chose to give us grace.

Humility is a personal quality of dependence on God and respect for others.  And I will be the first to tell you that this is not always easy.  I have had situations in my life where God has absolutely humbled me, and I am so grateful for those times.

Humility does not comes easily, it can take time to achieve.   But, we have the greatest example of all, Christ!  

Philippians 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death--even death on a cross."  Wow, I have to stop and think, am I willing to humble myself like that?  .

Christ has given us the ultimate example of humility, grace, and sacrificial love for others.  His life provides so many examples of these.  As believers we need to take heed and humble ourselves.

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."  We need to humble ourselves before God and man.  Humility does not come from ourselves, but instead from Christ.  As we practice being humble and showing grace, imagine the blessings that we will receive from Christ.



Britt Hatcher