SUNDAY – MARCH 7, 2021
REMEMBER TO FORGET
Main Text- Hebrews 12:15- 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.
Ephesians 4:32- be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ, God forgave you.
“Remember to forget” is the mind of God for us.The subject of forgiveness is an important aspect of our Christian faith. This is a forgiveness without revenge nor grudges. When we claim to forgive our offenders, we are taught to entertain no bitterness in our hearts.
When we are offended, we feel hurt, bitter or bad. We all are imperfect humans who are bound to err at one time or another. But God in Christ Jesus forgave us and continues to forgive our imperfections and sins. Therefore, He also expects us to truly and completely forgive our fellow imperfect men who offend us.
Bitterness is not of God but of the devil and anything that comes from the devil will always bring defilement. Bitterness is a sin which makes us fall short of God’s grace and glory. It keeps the Holy Spirit far from us as He abhors it and cannot dwell in a bitter heart.
When we truly forgive our offenders, we will no longer feel hurt, bad or bitter whenever we see them or remember the offense. Our minds and hearts will truly let go of both the offense and the hurtful feeling. When we truly forgive our offenders, we will no longer count the offense against them or use it as a point of reference against them. When we truly forgive, we will not withhold our hand of fellowship or cordial relationship with our offenders, this would be malice. God’s kind of forgiveness is the type that justifies the offender and treats him as if he never committed the offense. God’s kind of forgiveness gives the offender a clean slate to start afresh in our relationship with them
We are to pray earnestly that every seed of bitterness planted by the devil through unforgiveness be uprooted as we determine to truly forgive our offenders no matter the gravity of the offense. We are to pray that the Holy Spirit will shed the Love of Jesus abroad in our hearts and make it easy for us to forgive our offenders and also forget their offenses.
BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER
Prayer: Holy God, forgive me of any bitterness and give me the grace to forgive others just as you have commanded.
BY BISHOP NGOZI DURUEKE (HE REIGNS CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL) To send your testimony, write us: mylivingwaterdevotional@gmail.com.