FORGIVENESS PART TWO

Yesterday we shared the remarkable story of Corrie ten Boom's forgiveness of a Nazi guard. It is easy to say forgive but even harder sometime to put those words into vocal output, when hurt our natural reaction is to protect ourselves. Colossians 3:13 instructs us to forgive as God forgives us.
We can look at Jesus and see where He could easily have mercy and grace. May we remind you of Him turning over the tables in the temple. We are after all made in His image, and according to the Word able to do all He did. First we need to look at what forgiveness is.
It is a choice that we choose to made toward another. We do it out of obedience to God and His commandment to forgive. As we read with Corrie ten Boom she did not go by her feelings but according to the Word of God. It was only in that act of obedience that release came.
Faith in God's Word being true, that He will keep His promises, we must forgive by faith, not by feelings. We have to put our trust in God that he will do His work in us to completion. Our job is to ask forgiveness, His job is to work the act of forgiveness in our heart. Phillippians 1:6
How then do we know if we are forgiven? Matthew 18:21-22 tells us we are to forgive seventy-seven times. Keep doing it until you feel forgiveness in your heart. Jesus would not instruct us to do it 77 times if it was easy.
Two main reasons for asking forgiveness: so that our prayers will not be hindered Mark 11:25; out of obedience. By doing this we will recieve our reward which is freedom.
"Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you," Corrie ten Boom
God Bless
recj/LJG