Matthew 6:12-14, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Forgiveness is so important! Jesus Christ made clear, in Matthew 6, that there is a correlation between the forgiveness we sow to our fellow men and the forgiveness that we consequently reap from God. Today, people often ask, ‘How can I know when I have truly offered forgiveness?’ The answer is simply this: you have forgiven when you can remember the pain of the past without reliving the pain in the present; when the memory of the past provokes gratitude to God, not grievance to man.
With your words you constantly paint a public picture of your inner self. So what do your words reveal about the state of your heart when you remember the past? Do you say, ‘Look at what God has seen me through?’ or ‘Look at what they have put me through?’ In other words, you can know you have forgiven someone when your heart is settled, when you can remember the past hurt without reliving it in the present. If you remember it, it is a time to appreciate God for seeing you through it, not a time to reignite grievance to man for putting you through it.
As it says in Hosea 10:12, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” It is time to seek the Lord by offering forgiveness and receiving God’s mercy. You cannot give your attention to God’s Word when the soil of your heart remains ‘fallow’, bound and burdened with grudges, unforgiveness and bitterness.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, help me to offer forgiveness to anyone who has offended me – knowingly or unknowingly. Help me to always view my past in the light of Your great love for me – that while I was a sinner, you died for me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.