#DailyDevotion Forgiving Others Takes A Miracle

Pentecost Friday

Read Luke 23:26–56

Luk 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

 

Forgiveness is a tough thing.  Sometimes when we are particularly mad at people and rightly so we’ll get some well meaning person tell us we need to forgive people because that is what Jesus did.  Well they’re not completely wrong.  They’re just wrong in application.  Jesus is earning, winning, etc. the forgiveness of the land for the world.  It is his forgiveness given and won there that we are to give to others.  It is a forgiveness that we have already received.  You know the old saying you can’t give away something you haven’t got.

 

Now this relates to the only petition of Jesus’ prayer that he has ever interpreted for us. Mat 6:14-15  For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,  (15)  but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

And again he teaches us about forgiving others in the parable of the unforgiving servant.  When the servants doesn’t forgive his fellow servant Jesus says, Mat 18:35 “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

 

You see when we don’t forgive people in our hearts it is because we don’t believe Jesus’ word at the cross.  We harbor resentments and unforgiveness because we don’t believe God forgives us for Jesus’ sake.

 

But having forgiveness in your heart and telling someone they are forgiven are two different things.  Yes, we are to have forgiveness on our hearts towards those who sin against us.  That doesn’t mean though we are to tell everyone they are forgiven.   To tell people they are forgiven when they don’t ask forgiveness is to throw pearls before swine.  But we must have forgiveness for them in our hearts.

 

When someone comes to us and ask for forgiveness we give them what have already planned to do anyway, forgive them.  When we forgive others we are doing what Jesus did.  No, not just forgiving.  We are being crucified.  We are killing the old man who demands rights and justice.  We are sacrificing ourselves because of the one, Jesus, who sacrificed his self.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, may we ever bear forgiveness won by you on the cross and which is given to us, that we might like you, die to our rights and forgive those who sin against us.  Amen.