For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6: 14, 15, NKJV)
Dear God and Heavenly Father, how easy it is for us to forget that we are always in need of forgiveness. Please help us to remember how indebted we are to You, when others do us wrong. In the holy name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Today while walking my mind wandered off to a moment in my life when the last thing I wanted to do was to forgive someone who had caused me unutterable pain. Every time the memory comes to mind the pain is as real as if it was happening all over gain. Today, as on some other rare occasions my pain was accompanied by another pain – pain for the one who had wronged me.
In the past when I found myself feeling sorry for the other person I would immediately call to remembrance different instances, when without a cause, this person would just be mean, and the pity that was coming to the surface would quickly vanish. But today I did not give in to my desire to hold on to my pain; I wanted to let go of it.
What difference would it have made to this individual if I had let go of my pain earlier? What difference would it have made in my life?
I began to think of Jesus’ prayer of forgiveness on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23: 34). It was at this time that our text for today came to my attention; and I thought about it for quite a while, from different angles: We are all sinners. We all need forgiveness. We all need a Savior. Jesus is such a Savior; and I need His forgiveness.
There is quite a lot of literature that has been written on the topic of forgiveness. Perhaps that is a reflection of how much need there is in our world for people of every age group to both give, and receive, forgiveness. People at both ends of the equation are in need of healing. And the sooner we give forgiveness and receive it, the sooner healing will take place.
What I believe we are not as aware of as we should be, is the fact that the forgiver is not only releasing the one forgiven, but is, in a greater measure, setting himself or herself free as well, or I should say, more so.
Today, count the cost: If you sincerely forgive those who wrong you, whether or not they receive, or appreciate, your forgiveness, have you suffered any loss? No. To the contrary you are assured that the Savior has forgiven you as He promised!
So make it a win-win situation today – forgive and be forgiven!