EYE OPENER
Forgive those who trespass against you
A true Christian will not let Year 2009 pass away without forgiving his brothers and sisters who have offended him or her. Human as we are, it is difficult to forgive people who have hurt, offended, angered and cheated us. Even a Christian may not at all forgive somebody who has shamed his life. But, when he remembers how Jesus Christ suffered tremendously and suffered unprecedented humiliation at the cross, but at his last breathe, Jesus prayed to his heavenly Father, “Forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” Jesus Christ hanging on the cross was still the son of man until He ascended to heaven where He was seated at the right hand of the heavenly Father. How much more we Christians who are called children of God, can we not forgive our enemies and persons who have wronged us? Matthew 6:14, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Let us set aside our pride and approach your brothers and sisters who have angered us. God hates the proud but loves the humble. Colossians 3:13, “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
There was a true story of a neighbor in the United States. The son of the first neighbor cut the branches of the tree of the second. The father of the second neighbor shot the boy. The father intervened and also killed him. For several years, the widow was left alone in the house. She did not retaliate but kept on going to church. One day, she approached the father who killed her son and husband and offered him food and goodies. The murderer father was surprised for despite the evil thing that he did to the son and father of the widow, she still can afford to forgive. Matthew 6:15, “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
For if you are forgiven, you break the power of sin. You will feel refreshing. In name of Jesus Christ, you are free and you are loose from Satan, the prince of sin in this world.
Christians should always remember God’s teaching on prayer when He said, “And forgive us our sins, we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” Luke 11:4. A television Evangelist spoke one time of a Jewish priest who rebuked Jesus that He has the power to forgive sins. “Who is this man who says that He can forgive sin?” the Jewish rabbi asked. It is clear when King David wrote in Psalm 86:5, “For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”
If Christians are not ready to forgive the sins or trespasses of those who have sinned against them, how can the heavenly Father receive them and also forgive their sins. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No one is sinless except Jesus Christ. Let us therefore come to God and confess our sins. If your brother or sister who had sinned you is just around the corner, come to him or her and forgive their sins. You have not only fulfilled the commandment of God but also relieve you of heartaches and burdens you have been carrying for all these years. Finally, when you approach the throne of God in heaven after leaving earth, you will give an account of what you have done here on earth during your lifetime. Have you forgiven somebody? If the brother or sister who hurt you is far away, you can pray directly to God and ask forgiveness of the sins committed to your brother or sister. For in so doing, you will live in peace and your heartache is over.
Happy New Year to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Be sure that you have no more foes in Year 2010. Praise the Lord!
