Forgive in your heart

Forgive as many times as you would wish God forgave you.
From Daily Inspiration: A Thought for Every Day of the Year via Guideposts.

There are many instances of forgiveness in the Bible, probably the most famous is the plight of Joseph, the son of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham – the father of the Jewish nation.

You may recall the account from Genesis – Jealous of Joseph, his brothers first plotted to kill him, but then sold Joseph into slavery. During his many years separated from his family, Joseph was falsely accused, thrown into prison, but eventually became second in command of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh! God used Joseph’s plight to save the family of Jacob.

You can read Joseph’s story beginning with his birth in Genesis 30:22 through his death in Genesis 50:26.

After many years absent from his family, Joseph forgave his brothers for their unsavory deed, praising God for the way his brothers’ betrayal was used to save the family into which he was born.

That, folks, is amazing forgiveness.

Are you capable of such absolution?

I know I have a problem wrapping my human mind around the notion of forgiving anything and everything, no matter how egregious the transgression.

But, I have found that if I employ my Christ-centered heart, and its corresponding attitude, I find forgiveness a simple extension of my life as a true follower of His Way.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlined the consequences of refusing to forgive. In Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV), {Jesus said} “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Pretty strong admonition, agreed?

Forgive and get forgiven, is what I read here.

Don’t forget that God knows what is in our hearts. We need to forgive all the way. Forgive in our hearts as well as with our lips.

Jesus even explained this direction further in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:21-35 (NIV):
Pay particular attention to verse 35.
21 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?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” {emphasis - mine}

That nails it for me. Forgive as much as is necessary to accomplish true forgiveness in my heart.

It’s the only way to get the forgiveness we need to continue as His followers.

Forgive; kick it to the curb; make the 180; enjoy life minus the burden of hate.

You’ll be glad you did.

May God continually bless you and your forgiving ways. Amen