Maybe Peter thought he was going to stump Jesus when he asked the question “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?” He wanted a number, some quantification of when enough was enough and forgiveness was spent. Peter throws out a number, “Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus responds, “but seventy times seven!” Some quick multiplication tells us that 490 seems to be the magic number—a much larger number than Peter was suggesting. But it’s not a random number. As always, Jesus’ words were precise and targeted. In Hebrew numerology, each letter has a numeric value, and words that have the same numeric value are often connected in meaning. “Tamim,” the Hebrew word for “complete” or “perfect,” has a numeric value of 490. In other words, you forgive fully. You don’t set a limit on your forgiveness. Let me state the obvious here: this is hard! Sometimes forgiveness is not deserved, or even sought out. Sometimes there’s no repentance. But still, the choice to forgive is already made. I know I will forgive because that is what Jesus has asked of me, and what’s more, it is what He has done for me. He has forgiven me for all my sins, past, present and future. So I will strive to forgive in the same way. One of the biggest things I’ve learned about forgiveness is that it’s a continuous process. I can make the choice to forgive someone for something, and be genuine in my desire to forgive, but down the road, I may again find myself angry at the person for the exact same offense. Maybe that’s another way the 490 comes in? Continually forgiving for the same event until the memory doesn’t make me angry, vengeful, or distraught. Sometimes, forgiving takes more strength and love than I feel capable of. Thankfully, forgiveness isn’t an emotion. It’s a choice and an action. Because we are saved through Jesus, we have the grace to make the choice to forgive others.--Marie Alvero
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He who cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass; for every man has need to be forgiven. —George Herbert
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.—Matthew 5:7 NIV The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. —Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy. —James 3:17 NIV Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is the power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness .—Corrie ten Boom God bestows His blessings without discrimination. The followers of Jesus are children of God, and they should manifest the family likeness by doing good to all, even to those who deserve the opposite. —F. F. Bruce To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.—Lewis B. Smedes There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer; no disease that enough love will not heal; no door that enough love will not open; no gulf that enough love will not bridge; no wall that enough love will not throw down; no sin that enough love will not redeem. ... It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble; how hopeless the outlook; how muddled the tangle; how great the mistake. A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all. —Emmet Fox Forgiveness is a redemptive response to having been wronged and wounded. Only those who have wronged and wounded us are candidates for forgiveness. If they injure us accidentally, we excuse them. We only forgive the ones we blame. —Lewis B. Smedes Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.—Luke 6:36 NIV God loves you as you are, not as you should be, because no one is as they should be.—Brennan Manning You may feel that what you’ve suffered is unpardonable, beyond forgiveness, but God can lift that burden and give you a change of heart. The miracle-working love of God is love enough to forgive—and to help you forgive. —Gabriel Sarmiento Hearing about what God has done for others in their time of need often helps us to have faith that He will take care of us as well. Even though this miracle happened a long time ago the principle of God’s help still applies.
Think about it: A Chinese man of God named Ting, along with some friends came to a raging river. The river was very deep and anyone who stepped in would be washed away. But they needed to cross the river in order to continue their journey! What could they do? Ting told the others, “Our God is a mighty God. He can open a way for us through the river!” He then prayed simply for God to hold back the waters. After the short prayer, Ting stepped into the river. To his friends’ amazement, they saw that the water level was going down! Before long, they were all able to cross safely to the other side. God not only divided the Red Sea for the children of Ideal He also divided the Jordan River for God’s people and His prophets to cross. He still can make a way through water for those who love God today as Isa 43:2a promises which says, “When you pass through the waters, I (God) will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you:...” The Gospels describe Jesus being whipped, beaten, and then nailed to a cross. As He hung there, waiting to die, some of His last words were “Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23:34 ESV.) Forgiveness was His response to an unjust trial, being lashed by a whip with weighted strands that lacerated the skin, inflicting unimaginable pain, having spikes hammered through His hands and feet, and being left to die on the cross in agony. While on the one hand, His reaction is very surprising, it also makes perfect sense when we read what Jesus taught about forgiveness throughout His ministry. He not only taught it—He embodied it, both in His life and His death. He practiced what He preached.
God’s forgiveness Jesus’ forgiveness reflected His Father’s forgiveness. In the Old Testament, when God revealed Himself to Moses, He said of Himself, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” (Exodus 34:6–7 ESV.) God was saying that forgiveness is one of His divine attributes, that it is rooted in His character. This point is made throughout the Old Testament, for example: “You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Nehemiah 9:17 ESV.) When we forgive others for things they have done to us, this reflects our understanding of divine forgiveness. We are to forgive others because we have been forgiven. Jesus died so that our sins could be forgiven, and we are called to forgive others when they sin against us or wrong us. What forgiveness is, and isn’t Some hurt is done intentionally. We are assaulted in some way physically, verbally, or emotionally. Someone steals from us, perhaps by intentionally misleading us so that we are defrauded and lose our money, possessions, etc. We are betrayed by someone we love—a spouse, a family member, a close friend. Some hurts we experience are minor, but eventually become major, if they are repeated over and over again. Forgiveness doesn’t deny the harm or wrong someone has done to us. It doesn’t make excuses for why they hurt us, and it doesn’t minimize the seriousness of the offense. It doesn’t mean that the offense stops hurting or is forgotten. Forgiveness isn’t an automatic restoration of trust. It doesn’t replace justice, as sometimes there are consequences to be faced even after the act of forgiveness. It’s not instant emotional healing. Forgiveness looks at the wrong done to us, admits that it has wounded us, and then decides to forgive—which is actually a decision to start the process of forgiving. It’s recognizing that the hurt we experienced was personal, unfair, and deep, and choosing to let go of the inner negative feelings we have toward someone who has hurt us, in order that the hurt no longer negatively affects us. As Kelly Minter explains in her book, The Fitting Room: Forgiveness is not denying what our enemies have done; it’s not calling something whole that’s fractured or something pure that’s corroded. Forgiveness is looking in the face of what our offenders have done, recognizing their wound for all that it is, and then choosing to forgive. It has nothing to do with denying the wrong of those who hurt us, but has everything to do with changing our hearts towards them. Sometimes we wait to forgive until the person who hurt us apologizes for what they’ve done. We want them to acknowledge that what they did was wrong and express regret. But there are a few problems with this. Sometimes the person doesn’t know they hurt you, and if that’s the case, they won’t ever apologize. In some cases, the person knows they hurt you, but they don’t care; and other times, the individual is no longer in your life. If you wait for someone to ask for your forgiveness before forgiving them, you may end up carrying your hurt for the rest of your life. There are cases where we’re hurt by those whose own problems spill over onto us in some way. For example, parents’ marital problems may hurt their children, but that isn’t intentional hurt. Sometimes we’re hurt by those who make mistakes. Sometimes someone is even trying to do something they think will be beneficial, but in the end, it doesn’t work out the way they expected. In such situations, it’s helpful to remind ourselves that we also do things that result in unintentional hurt to others. When we do, of course, we hope that those we have hurt will forgive us. And therefore we should be willing to forgive those who have harmed us without intending to. There’s also the factor that not every hurt that we experience needs to be forgiven. Many of the injuries we feel in life are caused by the actions of others who mean us no harm. We live in a world where we regularly interact with people just like us, who often say or do things with no intent to hurt others, but sometimes these things do cause hurt unknowingly. Letting go, healing, and reconciliation Understanding that Scripture tells us to forgive others, and agreeing that we should do so, is one thing. But the act of forgiving someone who has deeply wounded us can be a difficult and gut-wrenching task. C. S. Lewis wrote, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” The Greek word most often translated as forgiveness is aphiemi, which is used to express letting something go, or canceling a debt. When we forgive someone for what they have done, we release them from a legitimate debt. We acknowledge that we’ve been injured or wronged, our trust has been betrayed, and our life has been marred by someone else’s hurtful actions. But we also understand that we too are sinners, that we offend and hurt others, and that we’ve been forgiven for our offenses by God. When we forgive, we make the decision to let go of our pain, our desire for retribution, our anger and negative feelings toward the person. We put the person, and their actions, into God’s hands. It can be natural to feel that forgiving someone is equivalent to excusing them for what they have done. Not so. Rather it sets you free to let go of the pain of the offense, to move on without your feelings of ill will toward the person who harmed you constantly plaguing you. In conclusion Forgiveness is a complex topic with many aspects. However, it’s clear that Jesus, by His example and His teaching, emphasized forgiveness. He instructed us to forgive, and He didn’t put caveats on that command. If we desire to be more like Jesus, then we must forgive others for their trespasses against us—as hard as it may sometimes be—because God has forgiven our trespasses against Him. Jackie B. believes that her guardian angel came to her aid on two such occasions. Most interesting, her testimony is that she actually physically felt and heard this protective force. Both happened when she was a child of kindergarten age:
"Everybody in the town used to go to the hill by the post office to sled in the winter," says Jackie. "I was sledding with my family and I went to the steep part. I closed my eyes and went down. I apparently hit someone going down and I was spinning out of control. I was heading for the metal guard rail. I didn't know what to do. "I suddenly felt something push my chest down. I came within less than a half inch of the rail but didn't hit it. I could have lost my nose. "The second experience was during a celebration of my birthday in school. I went to put down my crown on the bench at the playground during recess. I was running back to play with my friends. Three boys suddenly tripped me. This playground had a lot of metal things and wood chips (not a good combo). I went flying and hit something about 1/4 of an inch under my eye. "But I felt something pull me back when I fell. The teachers said that they saw me sort of fly forward then fly back at the same time. As they hurried me to the nurse's office, I heard an unfamiliar voice keep telling me, 'Don't worry. I'm here. God doesn't want anything to happen to his baby.'" -- By Stephen Wagner (https://www.thoughtco.com/angels-prayers-and-miracles-2593039) Verse of the day:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. -- Galatians 6:7 Think about it: If you sow good things you will reap good things as the business man below finds out. A businessman was on his way home after a long train journey. He was hurrying along, anxious to get home to his wife and children. As he walked he saw a group of men on the banks of the Genesee River that ran through his hometown of Rochester, New York State. The men seemed very excited about something. “What’s going on?” the businessman shouted. “There’s a boy in the river!” they yelled back. “Why don’t you save him?” the businessman asked, but then took action himself. Immediately he put down his briefcase and threw off his coat. Jumping into the stream, he grabbed the boy and with much difficulty swam back to the shore. As he wiped the boy’s dripping, wet face the man cried, “It is my son!” In jumping into the river to help a stranger, he had in fact rescued his own child. What if this man hadn’t unselfish helped the boy? What loss it would have been and terrible quilt. But he did help a stranger, or so he thought and was greatly rewarded. Praise of the day: Psa_31:21 Blessed be the LORD: for He has showed me His marvellous kindness... . “We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”—2 Corinthians 4:16–178
Philip Yancey once wrote, “I used to believe that Christianity solved problems and made life easier. Increasingly, I believe that my faith complicates life, in ways it should be complicated. As a Christian, I cannot not care about the environment, about homelessness and poverty, about racism and religious persecution, about injustice and violence. God does not give me that option.” Yancey goes on to quote that old familiar passage, which he explains this way: “Jesus offers comfort, but the comfort consists of taking on a new burden, His own burden. Jesus offers a peace that involves new turmoil, a rest that involves new tasks.” What new tasks? Jesus summed them up when He summed up the Christian faith: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” ( Matthew 22:37–39)—our “neighbor” being anyone we are in a position to help. Loving others as much as we love ourselves doesn’t come naturally and seldom is easy, but it’s what we are called to as Christians.—Keith Phillips Hearing about what God has done for others in their time of need often helps us to have faith that He will take care of us as well. Even though this miracle happened a long time ago the principle of God’s guidance still applies.
Think about it: Many times a travelling team of missionaries in Indonesia needed to walk at night, or make their way through a dark jungle. It was very difficult, and they had no maps to find their way. God told them to just pray for light. God gave light to the travelling Israelites in the wilderness with Moses, and He can give light to those who need it today. When the missionaries prayed for light, a light—like the landing light of a plane—would shine. When the light would go to the left, or move to the right, or go forward, they would follow in that direction. They didn’t know the way, but each time they followed the light they would always come to the exact place where the Lord wanted them to minister. Verse of the day:
He saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy.—Titus 3:5 NIV Think about it: Throughout my life, I’ve received my share of (well-deserved) consequences for wrongdoing. But more than once, I didn’t get what I deserved. Instead, I received mercy. One day when I was around 12, my family was at the mall. I was supposed to keep an eye on my younger brother while my parents stood in line, but I got distracted, and he wandered away and almost reached the parking lot outside before we found him. Did my parents give me a stern lecture? You bet, but it was tempered with so much love and mercy. I got grace that day, undeserved but never forgotten. When I was a little older, I once took something that wasn’t mine. When my mom confronted me, I felt blood thundering in my ears as I thought Why did I do this? Life will never be the same! But Mom took me in her arms and said she knew I could be a better man—and to start, I would return the item immediately. And it turned out I was right (however, not in the way I expected)—my life has never been the same since this poignant lesson. Then came the nasty fights, pointless arguments, and snide comebacks of my teen years and young adulthood. I would behave badly to a friend, sibling, or parent, and then feel ashamed, knowing I had earned exclusion, rejection, or some other consequence. Sometimes, I got it. But often, I found that others had bigger souls and hearts than I imagined, and time and again, I was forgiven. Now I strive to be both a loving husband to my amazing wife and a kind father to my two little girls. Most days, I do okay. Some days, not so much. There have been times when I’ve behaved badly and it was hard to face not only them, but also myself. But incredibly, when my head has been bowed in shame, their love lifted it and blessed me with their kindness and reassurance. All this has shown me that life is one long learning process. Jesus forgave those who hated, beat, and killed Him. He had patience with His disciples when they struggled to understand His teachings. He welcomed back those who had denied Him and friends who had hurt Him deeply. He touched the doubters and outcasts and gently lifted their heads, blessing them with unrestrained love. He affirms to us daily that there’s room in His kingdom for all of us lost and lonely sinners when we come to Him. -- Chris Mizrany
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AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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