05/07/08

Hatred blocks your forgiveness

Sirach 28:3 [KJV Apocrypha] - One man beareth hatred against another, and doth he seek pardon from the Lord?

If any person has hurt us or sinned against us by forgiving that person it isn稚 that we by are wiping clean that person's sin.

There are two parts to forgiveness one is our part and one is God's part.

When we forgive a person, it is not we who forgive the person, but we just do not hold any thing against that person and therefore make way for God to forgive. When we keep hatred then we block that path and therefore become an obstacle for forgiveness of that person. What we do unto others will be done unto us, thus we also become an obstacle for our own forgiveness.

Forgiveness is given only when a person repents. If we love a person and we see that person is about to fall in a hole, we will hold that person back or warn that person of the hole. Similarly since we should love others it becomes our duty to try to bring others to repentance, so that they can avail forgiveness. Even if that person does not repent we should on our part not hold back any thing against that person for our own sake, so that we also get forgiveness from God when we need it.

The authority as representatives of God was given to us through Jesus Christ. When we forgive, it is not us but God who forgives through us. This can only happen when we have opened our own door of forgiving that person.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, if there is any person towards whom I have held back forgiveness and build hatred against that person knowingly or unknowingly, please bring that person to mind. I forgive any such person and ask you to show mercy on that person and also on me for my own forgiveness. I make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]

Matthew 6:12
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Matthew 18:21
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Mark 2:7,10
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

Mark 11:25-26
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 16:19
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)