Freedom Through Forgivenessنموونە

You Are Commanded To Forgive

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:32 ESV

It's pretty plain and straightforward here. Paul is said to forgive one another. This isn't a suggestion if you feel like it. He says to do it. God will not tell us to do something that we cannot do. If we are commanded to forgive, that means we can.

We don't like the word commandment. There is something within every person that resists being told what to do. We all have that part of us that wants to do what we want, when we want to do it, and however we feel like doing it. Don’t allow yourself to forgive this way. Forgive the way God says to.

We Are Commanded to Forgive for Our Benefit

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." - 1 John 5:3 NKJV

We must understand that when God tells us to do something, it is for our benefit. Many people think that God gives us commands because He wants to control us. If God wanted to control us, He would control us. Control, however, is not love, and He loves us too much to control us. He wants us to surrender our hearts to Him; He doesn't want to take them.

If you are a parent, you teach your child how to cross the street. You teach them to look left, look right, and then look left again. We teach them this because they need to know that they cannot run out into the street without looking.

If I see a child about to run into the street, I will yell ‘stop.’ I don't have to know that child; I will do it because I’d rather yell at them to stop than do nothing and allow them to get hurt. Telling a child to stop before they run into a street has an obvious “why”. We all know that there is a possibility of a car coming and hurting that child. All the child sees is that their ball went into the street, and they are trying to retrieve it. However, the adults around will tell that child to stop, even though it may be uncomfortable to do so. They will grab their hand if need be.

When God tells us to do something, it is for our benefit.

Forgiveness is for us! We are the ones who live a better life as a result of choosing to forgive and moving forward. Don't fall for the trap that you are doing someone else a favor by forgiving them. You are saving yourself from deep-rooted pain and other hurdles in your future.

“Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" - Matthew 18:21-22 NASB 1995

As a child, you often obeyed your parents without fully understanding why. They gave you chores to do to teach you life principles.

As for me, my mother taught me how to iron, do laundry, cook, and perform other household tasks. I learned these skills because of obedience to my parents, not because I always did what I wanted to do.

Now, as a parent, you begin to assign chores to your children to teach them the same principles.

My children started handling the trash and recycling at the ages of seven and eight, before they could watch TV or do anything else. Even on the tough days, they are responsible for their chores.

As parents, we don't give them chores to be mean; we do it because it's best for them in the long run. We do it because we love them, and we know their lives will be better for it.

God commands us to forgive because He knows our lives are better when we forgive. It may not feel pleasant at the moment, but in the long run, your life will be significantly better.