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The Bible Blogger
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The thoughts of someone who reads the Word and tries to figure life out while doing it.
Last Published: 10/27/2008 5:09:17 AM
Forgive. Forgive Again. And........Again.
Posted by: Bible Blogger on May 16, 2008 at 11:48AM EST

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I was thinking of a recent situation involving my family where one of the members is continually doing things that are causing us to need to extend a large amount of forgiveness.   Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we have to do because it's our giving up of our rights of vengeance against that other person for wrongs inflicted upon us or those we love (intentionally or unintentionally.)  It's just one of the many things that we sometimes look at Jesus and say "why did you tell us to do this?  This is so hard!" 

Sometimes you want to just cut Luke 17:3-4 (ESV) "Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him" out of the Bible.  It would be a lot easier to say to God "look, I forgave the guy twice and he did the same thing again!  I gave him a second chance and now he's blown it!"  Jesus just looks at you, smiles...and then asks you how many times you were forgiven for your mistakes.

The whole point of forgiveness is not really for the person you're forgiving in the first place.  You forgive to free yourself of feelings of resentment that boil within when you hang on to a mistake.  You forgive to keep yourself from dwelling on the thoughts of the mistake which could keep you from doing the things that God wants you to do.  Most of all, you forgive as you were forgiven according to Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." 

This does not mean, however, that you let someone continue in their ways of sin by matching the forgiveness with enabling.  For example, if you have a family member who struggles with alcohol and they ask for a ride to a bar you tell them no.  If you have a friend who has borrowed repeatedly from you because they are not managing their money properly, do not give them money to continue that sinful lifestyle.  You can forgive someone their actions without continuing to encourage the sinful behavior (although it's likely the person committing the sin will not see it that way.)

In all, be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Do what you feel the Lord telling you to do even if it runs counter to what your flesh is telling you to do.  In this you'll be doing what you're called to do by our Father and you'll be exhibiting the grace, mercy and forgiveness that He shows to us.

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