When you begin your spiritual walk, one of the very first things that you are required to do is to engage in a period of forgiveness. How long this period lasts depends on the amount of people you need to forgive and the number of persons you have to ask to forgive you.
You think I’m joking? Ask anyone who is on their journey and
they will confirm it.
Jesus told Peter that he must always forgive others, not
just seven times but seventy times seven or, in some translations, seventy
seven times (ref. Matthew 18:21-22).
And in Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV) Jesus said,
if you are offering your
gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against
you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to
your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Yes, Jesus said to leave your gift at the altar and go engage
in forgiveness first then come back. Jesus is letting us know just how
important it is to forgive others. Forgiveness must be a priority. He knew the
heavy price that unforgiveness carries.
As you may already know, when you harbour unforgiveness toward anyone, even if that person is someone from your past, you are the one who’s paying the price. You are the one in bondage. You are the one who is being held back from manifesting the fullness of God in your life.
I once read somewhere that when you are unforgiving it’s
like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. This might have caused
you and me to chuckle but it’s an apt analogy.
Chances are the person you’re holding in your mind doesn’t
even remember his transgression toward you because he may not have realized
that he had hurt your feelings or done anything untoward against you. Or if he
knows, you still have to forgive that person. It is hard but it is necessary.
Since God chose you to be the
holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each
other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave
you, so you must forgive others. – Colossians 3:12-13 (NLT)
Yes beloved, you must forgive
others, otherwise you will hamper your spiritual walk; that’s why it’s
one of the first requirements before you can move forward.
I know you have heard this forgiveness lecture before, but
it is worth a reminder. We tend to forget to forgive when we get offended and
are tardy in asking for others’ forgiveness when we offend.
Beloved, not forgiving is demanding a price for justice that
has already been paid. God loves justice but it’s a far cry from the justice we
love to seek. We pray, forgive us our debts, as
we also have forgiven our debtors. (Matthew 6:12 NLT) while clinging
to our debtors’ necks.
The simple truth is, you can’t live free when you are
hanging a debt of unforgiveness over another. Your need for repayment will be
demanded of you if you require it.
Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving debtor in Matthew 18:21-35
is worth a reminder, perhaps you should read it.
Amen †
Shelley Johnson “Worth a Reminder” ©2026 February 9, 2026
No comments:
Post a Comment