Forgive!

MARK 11:25-26 NKJ 25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

You must forgive others. No matter what they have done. It is the command of God. But it was given for our benefit.

To not forgive hurts you. Refusing to forgive is like swallowing poison daily. It will destroy you.

Jesus said we should forgive when we stand praying. So we don't have to wait until people apologize. Nor does forgiveness require a long time.

Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a decision to quit holding something against someone. When we forgive people we must release them and forget it.

You may think it is impossible to forgive someone who has deeply wronged you. With God it is possible. He never asks us to do something we cannot do.

LUKE 6:35-38 NKJ 35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

Whatever we measure out is what will be measured back to us. If we want others -- including God -- to show mercy to us and forgive us -- we must forgive and be merciful to others.

It is not enough to forgive only those people who have wronged us a little. We must forgive everyone!

MATTHEW 18:21-22 NKJ 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Surely Jesus was not setting a maximum limit on the number of times we should forgive. He gave an absurdly high number so we would realize He meant for us to forgive without limit -- just as He forgives us.

LUKE 23:33-34 NKJ 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Jesus set a perfect example of forgiveness for us when He forgave those who mocked Him and crucified Him. But this kind of forgiveness is certainly beyond normal human ability or experience. It takes the power of God to do it. When we are born again we have access to that power through the love of God inside us.

EPHESIANS 4:32 NKJ 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

We are commanded to forgive others in the same way God has forgiven us! Having God's help is necessary to do that.

COLOSSIANS 3:13 NKJ 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

It is not optional. If we desire God's blessing and fellowship -- we must forgive others as He forgave us.

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will forgive.