Tuesday, September 19, 2006

How to Forgive Others Just As Your Father-in-Heaven has Forgiven You?

For some reason, we tend to find it harder to forgive offenses against us (whether they be petty or more serious), despite the fact that God has forgiven us a multitude of offenses. If we are forgiving at all, our mercy tends to be limited to those who are close to us, or to those whose offenses are very minor.

How can we get out of this trap? By taking up the practice of “blind mercy.” The principle behind blind mercy simply says: “If anyone hurts me or offends me in any way—big or small—I will forgive them, just as Jesus has forgiven me.” This will obviously be easier on the small offenses, such as the person who cuts me off in traffic or who says something to me that I find offensive. On the larger offenses, where trust has been severely broken through divorce, unfaithfulness, or abuse, it will obviously take longer and be more difficult. Don’t give up!

w/r Matt 18:21-35

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