Forgiveness

I had a friend ask me about forgiveness. This is a hard one. I would love to have some other commits on this, to help my friend. All I could say was what is in my heart and to give some scripture to back up my thoughts. So any help would be appreciated. Jesus says that what we bind on earth will be bound in heaven and we should forgive 70 times 7. Which is allot. We are to forgive in the way we want God to forgive us. Not how earthly people forgive. There is a huge difference in man's forgiveness and God's forgiveness, so to me you only have control over what you do and you think, you can never control another persons thoughts or deeds, only yours. So if you want God to forgive you, you have to have a forgiving heart. The Bible also say to be angry and sin not. And Jesus was very angry when he turned the money changers out of the temple. So God understands that as humans we are going to get angry. Its how we handle that anger that defines us to God. He can forgive us for anything, but he expects to see a change in us, that we are not doing that same behavior over and over again. So my answer is as long as I have done everything Biblical correct to seek to forgive some one and they refuse my forgiveness. It is then on them. God is please with you when you can forgive. So don't look at it that you can get the other person to ask to be forgiven, you've just got to do it for your own soul and the people who look to you for guidance. Please read all the scripture that I have for you, I hope this helps. Its hard to get over things that cut us to the bone, but only with God's help can we do it, and it takes time for cuts to heal, and when they're that deep its not an over night thing its an on going process, and some times you even have to have surgery to cut out dead and dying tissue to get a cut to heal. But I promise it you just let if fester you will be eaten up with infection and part of you will die. So use the Bible to wash out your cuts, keep them clean, cut out the dead flesh, and sometime in the future you can have true healing. And true frogiveness only comes from God.

Matthew 5:38-48

Go the Second Mile
38 "You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn from him.

Love Your Enemies
43 "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 7:21-29

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Build on the Rock
24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26"But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
28And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.



Matthew 6:8-15

8"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

13And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.



Matthew.

18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Luke 6:29
And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

Why?

Why, why, why.....it seems to me this is what we whine all the time. Or at least I do. Dose it sound familiar to your ears. When we are first learning to talk this is was one of our favorite words, WHY. Why do I have to do this or that, Why are you so mean to me, Why is life unfair, Why did that have to happen to me, Why do I have to wait, Why can't I have what I want, Why, Why, Why. "Ours is not to reason why, ours is to do or die" these word were written by Alfred Lord Tennyson. But what do they really mean, to me. Well as Christian, who tries my best to live my life by the words of God in my Holy Bible, I should never ask Why, but I do. We like to think we have control over our lives. And then when, what we think are bad things happen to us, we automatically want to ask Why. We want to ask God Why all the time. Well maybe Alfred Lord Tennyson was on to something. "Ours is not to reason why, ours is to do or die." Don't you think God would love it if sometime we just said OK I'm trusting you, that this is your plan for my life and I want your Glory to show thru my life with this trial. To do or die. Wow those are strong words. Even our precious Jesus, while hanging on the cross said in Mark 15;34 "My God, My God, Why has thou forsaken me." He was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world and HE CHOSE TO DO BY DYING. Wow. I think that God had to look away from him because of my sin, and your sin, the sin of the whole world. Do we think we are really better than our Saviour. There is no comparison between me and Jesus who laid down his life for the sins of the world. Maybe when I'm asking Why, I need to look at my self. I don't believe God can look upon my sin unless it is covered by the Blood of Jesus. He promised me he would never leave me, but I leave him all the time. Maybe we need to listen to Jesus when he is asking us, Why are you not trusting, Why do you think I would leave you in this mess, Why do you think your better than others when it comes to trouble and trials. All I can say is OH MY. Maybe its me, no not maybe, but definitely me. Maybe I need to rid my life of sin, daily, hourly, minute by minute. Because that is the only way my prayers will ever be heard. Maybe I just need to replace the word Why with" Thy will for my life be done". How much happier would I be if I just deleted the word Why from my vocabulary. It's a hard thing to do, because we are just human, but we are to strive, to be like Jesus. The only perfect man, who chose to be a living sacrifice for my sin. Maybe he should have been the last person to ask Why. We will be a fallen creation until we get to heaven, and the only way that will happen is if our sins are covered by the blood. So, will I ever be able to rid my self of that pesky word Why. The honest answer is NO, I'm just a lowly human. Will I try to do better in the future, Yes that is my intention. Will I succeed, I'm afraid the answer is still NO. Not by myself, not on what Lisa can do, only thru Jesus do I have any hope of ridding my self of this word. This is just what has been on my mind, I hope it is a help to someone. It has been a help to me just to think about it. So lets say good bye to this pesky word Why. To do or die. I hope God finds me doing in the name of Jesus and not dying in my sin and asking Why this bad this is happening to me. Love y'all Lisa, but not near as much as Jesus does.