Mastering The Art Of ForgivenessSample
When You’re the One in Need of Forgiveness
There are two perspectives to every disagreement. It’s essential that we honestly evaluate our own role in the relationship before we try to “fix” the other person. When God shows you that you are wrong, repent! This word “repent” means to acknowledge your sin, renounce it, seek His forgiveness, and endeavor to live differently.
God is more than willing to forgive you; however, He may allow you to experience painful consequences in order to motivate you toward obedience. When your actions hurt others, you need to admit that what you did was wrong and say you’re sorry. Not only is it the right thing to do; it can actually shorten the agony and help you put the incident behind you!
There are two sides to forgiveness—giving and receiving. Although at first sight, giving seems harder, often we are not able to offer forgiveness because we haven’t fully received it ourselves. Only as people who have tasted the joy of forgiveness can we find the inner motivation to give it.
Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone learns from them. Don’t let yours go to waste! When you purpose to put others first, God will help you to become more compassionate and sensitive to the feelings of others, as well as more discerning of how you’ve gotten off track in the past. Guard your words and actions by thinking about how they affect the people in your life.
Regardless of how badly or how often you have failed, God won’t give up on you. So don’t give up on yourself! Nothing you’ve done is beyond the scope of His grace. Others may give up on you, but not God. Like a child learning to walk, when you fall, get back up again. Remember this: the moment that brings the awareness of sin should also bring the acknowledgement of sin and the assurance of forgiveness!
About this Plan
Relationships aren’t perfect! Some days, we find ourselves emotionally bruised and battered by the words and actions of others. And sometimes, we are the ones whose choices inflict deep pain in someone else. This reading plan will help you learn to walk in the freedom of forgiveness, as you study the example of true grace—our Heavenly Father.
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