Forgiveness and The Christian Life

ByLinda Todd
Forgiveness and The Christian Life

Forgiveness And The Christian Life – this may seem easy for most Christians, however, it often needs some help…updates 01-11-23

Forgiveness and The Christian Life might seem simple, but when it is all said and done, living a truly Christian life often takes a lot of work. It takes prayer, Bible reading, concentration, and love with a desire not to miss going to Heaven.

Being a Christain does not mean that we lose our ability to often be human. We all have human needs that we must work on.

My Scripture Today- 1-11-23 – 1St John 4: 7-8

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God: and knoweth God. V.8 – He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  1st John 4: 7-8

If we fail to love and forgive, we could actually get a hardened heart and fail to see our own needs within our Christian experience. I have to work on myself constantly and know that I am not without flaws.

We cannot depend on any other individual to keep ourselves dedicated to what we believe is expected of us as Christians; it is up to us. We cannot measure our life by anyone, but Jesus Christ. No, that does not mean that we should not praise others’ well-lived life that is in line with the Word. As the scripture today states, we must love those around us; even if they have hurt us.

We should not, however, look at our fellow Christians and judge their behaviors (if they are contrary to what we think) as we then put ourselves in a league that is not ours to claim, it belongs to God, The Father, and The Son, Jesus.

We Must Forgive and Forget-this is not always easy…

“Jesus said:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against one, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11: 24-25

Here is the forgetting part…
 
 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  Hebrews 8:12

That is where the forgetting is. Remember their sins no more!!

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Psalm 32:1-2 
 

God Forgives And Forgets –Our example for Forgiveness and The Christian Life

Now, if God forgives and forgets, why would He not expect the same of us?

Some time ago I experience something that made me weak, disappointed, and without understanding. I wondered why I had to experience the situation at this time in my life. My thoughts were that I had already had enough lessons in life and this just was not an appropriate time for me.

Yes, you could say that I lost my desire to even try to do anything, and I became judgmental, unforgiving, and just could not find the right words to pray. All I could say was Lord help me.

I felt alone, misunderstood, and wondered why I had been unwise enough to believe totally in another person to see the situation from my angle.  No, this was not in my Church family or anyone in my hometown.  It was someone I had known a long time, had never been close to, but worked with many years ago.

When Bad Things Happen- we must seek the Lord for His help and guidance…

 When bad things happen to us, we often forget what we have been taught. What the Bible says about us as Christians and what we know about ourselves.  In fact, I had taught in Sunday School that all humans have the same basic needs.
 
That is to be thought well of, to feel important, and to be loved and appreciated.  And, that is still true according to Psychology.  So, I had received basic human needs, and when they were transformed into a lie,  it hurt and caused a whole heap of problems for me.

As Christians, we are not immune to having personal needs that must be fulfilled. Even Christians are still “human.”  The human part of us still exists but in a different form.

Being a Christian helps us to understand, forgive, and remember that we have all sinned. It helps us to know when we have done something insufficient, wrong, or unacceptable. But also when to know that it has nothing to do with us.

It means that we learn from the Word how to deal better with our human needs, and other people’s human needs, and face the fact that people will fail us at certain times.  We must look at the whole picture, and remember we never know what another individual is going through.

Being a Christian also means that we must forgive and forget.  Regardless of how hard it hit us, what the effects were in our life, and why we may never understand.

This Does Not Always Happen Without Lots Of Prayers

Sharing with you – 20 Best Prayers For Healing

Now, I am here to tell you that this was not something that I could do initially.  It was uncalled for, unwarranted, and unfair. But that did not change the fact that sometimes we have to prove our status as Christians, even to ourselves.  Get up, keep going, and remember that everything is for a purpose.

Yes, I knew this already and you probably do also.  But, I had another lesson to learn, I had to look at myself again and realize that God gives us grief sometimes to let us know who is in control.  A lot of people believe He does not cause things to happen to us.

EndNote:

When or if we take advantage of His mercies and think we are in control because things are going well…He can get our attention. He can allow us to suffer for our negligence!! And it is in the word here:

“But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.” Lamentations 3:32

“Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.” Jeremiah 45:3

Then we must also remember that when we need Him the most, He will give us pardon.

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:7

Though we may not feel unrighteous, if we neglect to overcome our weaknesses and leave out something like “forgiveness,” we cannot be abundantly pardoned.

It is always wise to pray for insight, read the scripture, and listen for Jesus to direct our hearts to the right solution of forgiving. 

Linda

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