Unforgiveness is like having one of these….

Posted by thedeaconscorner

..thrusted into your body but you refuse to remove it. If you hold on to it, it will eventually kill you! Unforgiveness does nothing more than bring harm to yourself and ultimately robs you of your peace and joy. The cousins of unforgiveness are laid out in Ephesians 4:31 which are “bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” For the Believer we are called to get rid of those things and “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. - Colossians 3:12-13.

Now the last part “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” is challenging to us all because unforgiveness says “you owe me for how you wronged me” but forgiveness says “love covers a multitude of sins”. It surely isn’t an easy thing to do because its not natural for us. But we are required to forgive in light of how the Lord has forgiven us over and over and over x100000000. So, how can we say we love God yet hate (have unresolved issues) our brother, friend or whoever? Forgiveness says lets deal with the issue, reconcile, rebuild trust and move on. Unforgiveness keeps you stagnant, stale and foul. Like I said this is not an easy thing to do but challenges come our way to show us how much we look like the Jesus we profess to love. On the cross He said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”. This was about his accusers, the mockers, unbelievers and His torturers. In the moment of His excessive pain, anguish, tiredness He still forgave the people. My aim is not to minimize the issue of unforgiveness into a few sentences and make it sound cut and dry because its not. But the main component in any issue concerning unforgiveness is to replace it with love. 

In light of that mediate on what the Lord says love is in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.