Always Be Forgiving

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

(Ephesians 4:32)

Meditation

Have you ever been hurt by someone? How did you react? I’m not a very good Christ-like example to go by when I’ve been hurt. It’s my fallen nature to want to immediately retaliate, forgetting how much I was forgiven by God. Without thinking of what Christ has forgiven me, I always want to make anyone who’s offended me, to feel as bad as I do. When all has been said and done, I wish I would have taken the extra time it would take to let go of my anger and hurt feelings. I always feel terrible for how I’ve reacted after I’ve had time to think about what I’ve said.

Usually, when I’ve been hurt or disappointed, the offender doesn’t even realize or care they’ve hurt me. Their apparent indifference hurts even more. On the rare occasion when I’ve actually held my anger in check, I’ve come to realize the offense was either unintentional or was done unaware. Even though the person who hurt me may not deserve to be forgiven, that’s what Jesus requires of me. I know I didn’t deserve for Jesus to forgive my sins when he did, so I have no excuse for not letting an offense go.

Some of the worst hurt that we may experience will come from a brother or sister in Christ. Differences of opinion have caused more heartache in the Church than almost anything else. We are humans and we make mistakes, so we shouldn’t have any expectation that a brother or sister will always be perfect. We should not delude ourselves that we would never hurt the people we love because we inevitably will. Therefore, we should always be ready to forgive anyone who steps on our toes because Christ demands it. In addition, always be ready to ask for forgiveness when we hurt someone.

Even if I am kind to everyone, they may not always respond the way they should. They are also stuck with a fallen nature so I have to forgive them anyway. They may not even care if I forgive them, but if I hold a grudge or strike back, I’m only hurting myself. God doesn’t say forgiving someone will be easy. He just tells me I have to do it. I don’t deserve the forgiveness of God either. He went to the cross not because I deserved to be saved but because he is so good and full of mercy and grace.

Daily Prayer

Dear Lord, there are so many reasons for us to praise you. You have called us out of the darkness and depravity where we were neck deep in sin. You pulled us up from the pit of despair and brought us into the light. You saved us from a terrible fate in hell, we were choosing by rejecting the gospel message. We were pitiful orphans who you’ve adopted and now call your children. Now, Lord, help us to be kind and loving to everyone we encounter. It’s only by showing love to others that we can draw them to a relationship with you. When a brother or sister in Christ hurts us, help us to be quick to forgive the wrongdoing and restore our friendship. We know it’s key for us to forgive each other because of how much you have forgiven us. Help us to always be gentle with someone whose faith is a little shallow. We never want to be the reason someone rejects Christ or falls back into sin because of something we said. Our tenderness could be the reason for the recommitment of a lost soul. It’s in the bosom of Christ where we’ll find our rest. In his name, we pray. Amen!