God Forgives, I Do Too

 “I will never forgive her for what she did to me!” “He hurt me so bad, how could I ever forgive someone so horrible?”... Sound familiar? Forgiveness is such a touchy topic amongst Believers. In actuality, we are extremely hypocritical. We want forgiveness from God for our sins but we don’t want to forgive others. We want to hold on to what he/she did to us when we were seven. Letting go of what our mom said to us out of anger when we were 15 seems impossible to release. Forgiving others is difficult for us, as sinful humans. But I am so grateful that God is not like man and forgives graciously. In order to move forward in Christ, we have to start looking more like Him—in His image. Since He forgives, we must also. Sadly, unforgiveness always leads to bitterness. 

“Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

Have you ever been around a bitter person? Sometimes you see them at the grocery store. No smile. No joy. No life. They are just bitter. The problem with bitterness is that while they have moved on, you are still stuck on the hurt. This makes moving forward in Christ impossible. Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” You want the one that hurt you to suffer, but in actuality you are the one suffering. Bitter roots in your heart will choke the fruit you bear. 

Jesus tells in John 15:12 that the greatest commandment is to love one another like He loves us. How can we please God by loving one another if we are harboring unforgiveness in our hearts? Believer, you can’t love and hate at the same time—something has to win. Don't let hate win in your heart. 1 John 2:3-5 tells us that if we truly love God, we will keep His commandments. We must keep His greatest commandment, which is love. Release that hurt in your heart today. Bitterness today will remain bitterness tomorrow. It’s time to move forward, Believer.

Where are your roots bitter? Who hurt you so much that you can’t seem to let it go? Today, you can move forward in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to expose and heal every bitter root in your heart. Don’t allow bitterness to choke your fruit of joy, peace, love, and a sound-mind. Let His love set you free today. The joy and freedom you experience when you forgive others is absolutely amazing. Receive it, right now, where ever you are. Unlike Rick Ross who says, "God forgives, I don't," we must always forgive if we desire to move forward with Jesus. #70X7

  

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” –Matthew 18:21-22