So many people today live their life in unforgiveness. They refuse to look past the wrongs that have been done to them 5, 10 or even 20 years ago. They feel they have a right to hold a grudge because they unjustly suffered at the hands of another and it is within all their rights to not want to forgive those trespasses. What we must all recognize and keep in mind is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We can’t have a holier than thou attitude when we ourselves are sinners. We commit acts of sin on a daily basis that we need forgiveness for from the Lord and when we ask for it, God graciously forgives and wipes our slate clean. Why is it then that we can receive forgiveness for our trespasses, but not offer forgiveness for the trespasses of others? The apostle Peter asked Jesus “how many times should I forgive my brother who has sinned against me, seven times?” Jesus answered and said “forgive seventy times seven.” We can’t pick and choose who and what to forgive. Our forgiveness must be complete no matter how small or great their sins because if we are being honest with ourselves, our sins are greater still against the Lord. If God has mercy now to forgive us, we must also show that same mercy towards others. (Romans 3:23) (Psalm 103:10-14)

Unforgiveness also hinders us from receiving from the Lord. When we pray and ask for help from the Lord, our hearts need to be clean before Him. We read this in Mark 11:25-26 where Jesus declares “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” See that it is to your ultimate benefit to forgive everyone for anything that was done to you. You will elevate your life by following the command of the Lord. You will reach farther, stand taller, be used more and your life will be significant because you did not stay in the past, but wisely looked forward to your blessed tomorrows. (Philippians 3:13-14)

I encourage you to go through life practicing forgiveness. This life is too short to allow the trespasses of others to hinder our walk with the Lord or stagnate our life’s progress because we choose to continually remember the past instead of forgetting it and looking forward to our bright and beautiful future. (Luke 6:36-37)

I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to always keep forgiveness at the forefront of your life knowing that it will be to your ultimate benefit in the end.


HATED POTATOES

A kindergarten teacher decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates.

So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3, while some had up to 5 potatoes.

The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week. Day after day passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes they were carrying.

Those children having 5 potatoes really began to feel the weight of the heavier bags. After 1 week, the children were relieved to hear that the teacher had finally ended the game. The teacher asked: “How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week?” The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will end up carrying an unnecessary burden with you wherever you go.

If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what a burden it would be to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime?"

Moral of the story:

Get rid of any hatred you might have for others in your heart, so that you won't have to carry around an unnecessary burden during your lifetime. Forgiving others is the best attitude to take! Love others, even if you don't like them…

Author Unknown


Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

1 John 4:10-12 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.”

Micah 7:18-19 “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

Colossians 3:12-15 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. 


Today's Selected Poem: DOES YESTERDAY BELONG TO TODAY
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem122.htm

Today's Selected Testimony: IT DID HAPPEN TO US
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony59.htm


In Christ’s Service,

Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry