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Friday, May 2, 2008

Today,due to some issues,I shall be sharing on forgiveness.
I mean,I don't know how people usually do their quiet time,but I am a person guided primarily by emotions.So I do quiet time to seek a solution for my probing mind. (:
'Nuff said,all the verses used are in ESV. :D

Matthew 18:21-22
21Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?As many as seven times?"
22Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

John 20:23
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven ; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."

Basically,the issue that bugs me time & again is that;
If the person keeps sinning against me in the same way,
Should I forgive?And how many times must I forgive?
Do I only forgive Christians?Or non-Christians as well?
It may seem like such a trivial & duhhhhh question,but it is A LOT to ponder about,to me.

So my answer is derived from the first verse.
Which means,I have to forgive them REGARDLESS.
That is,if they are sincere.I think?
can someone please clarify with me?
Anyways,as to why we should forgive?
It's cause Christ first forgave us.
And like what the second verse says;
It's external if you forgive,and internal if you don't.
What I gathered from that is that,if we forgive,both parties are happy.
[& He will be happy as well.]
But if we choose not to forgive,we end up hurting ourselves.
Cause the person may not know you're angry,and you will keep revisiting the issue within your own mind,and remind yourself of unecessary hurts.

The thing is,what if,it was your parents that you're angry with?
Well,if that's the case,all the more you should try to forgive them.
Because that is no longer a choice for you.
It's a must to do so.
Because forgiving your parents is part of honoring & respecting them,as what the 5th commandment tells us to do.

The key to forgiving someone is;
1)Understand what is causing you pain.
2)Acknowledge your part in the problem.
3)Try to see things from the other party's perspective.
4)Recognize who's going to be hurt by your choice when you don't forgive.
5)Talk things out.

Will elaborate more on the keys of forgiving when the time comes,and when I have more time.

She was loved. 4:08 PM