Ηow about that forgiveness brother ?
You know a lot of talk has often time gone around our Christian circles about forgiveness and how it should operate within the brethren. A lot of insight has transpired from more knowledgeable people that are great scholars on the matter – as if God accepts people solely on the amount of “heavenly” knowledge they have acquired. But you know, truth is, there are still a lot of blank spaces, unanswered questions prevailing and lack of satisfaction that have come out from all these scholarly discussions while we are sunk comfortably in our easy chairs of complacency. I wonder if any of us have really had the need to forgive someone close to us and if we really realize what it actually entails.
It seems an easy route out of all of this, to simply quote the scriptures on how we are to forgive seven times seventy, let God be The only one that takes revenge on the person at fault and we just run and hide our heads in the sand pretending as if nothing has really happened and by some magic wand God will make our troubles disappear and go away and life will be rosy and as it was before. I have been told that I need to learn how to forgive faster and better. So what – I did forgive them. But that hardly has removed the scars that the person who trespassed me left behind. Isn’t that person an active part of the forgiving process? Why does God have to do all the work for the trespassing party
I am sure that the Word of God is the ultimate in stating its wisdom in the way that God wants us to hear it. But doesn’t God also teach us with practical examples? What ever happened to David the direct descendent of Jesus and also big time sinner? Did not God also forgive Him, did not God bless him after he sinned and repented? Did God not also forbid him to build His temple because of too much blood on his hands? Why do we forget the consequences of sin and are in such a hurry to be forgiven or forgive. What about the scars that these bad decisions and thoughtless acts left on David. What do we do with those? Are we ready to live with all these consequences of our actions or can some of these be solved if we actually learn to deal with these in love? Real love, not love from the scripture verses but from the heart. I mean, isn’t that what God ultimately wants from us – our heart and its cleanliness?
But then again, what is love – what does love have to do with it? If a person really loves another like their brother would they not want to approach their brother and share in the hard ship and pain? Would they not want to find out what is hurting them and try to find a solution for the pain and suffering? I have yet to see this put in practice in the church body. Did Jesus not say that one commandment he leaves us with and that is to love one another. Paul tells us that out of faith, hope and love that the latter is the greatest. How do we love our neighbor when we are all too busy to do the word of God thinking this pleases Him? The Pharisees had put the law into practice rather well by tithing and reading the law and trying to practice something that they could never fulfill. What about the love that Jesus was trying to instill in them? They never really understood did they? What about us? Have we understood what HE is trying to teach us? Maybe that is one reason why he hasn’t returned yet! Unfortunately most Christians look for a quick fix up solution-hurry up and get it over with, lets go on to the next thing. What about the brother that stills hurts because nobody took the time out to understand what he is going through and in listening to him, his problem can be solved. Isn’t that the love that Jesus teaches. Sacrifice for your brother, lay your life down for him like HE did for us?
Oh well, that is too hard to do!!!
Let’s not expect real blessings from God if we never really learn how to love and bless one another. Oh yeah by the way… Let’s also understand what God is REALLY trying to tell us and teach us in HIS word !!! Unfortunately, in our well meant striving to become good Christians we wind up being sad, sad, little Pharisees. Maybe, unless we really understand real love we should quit teaching about it, finger pointed, behind the comfort of a pulpit.
By Yiannis K
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