Sweet revenge?

I believe one of the most difficult things to do is to forgive someone who has greatly wronged us.

The Bible commands us to forgive others. Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Matthew 6:14-16 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

Admittedly I have struggled with it, but I began to make some progress when I began to understand that forgiveness is a demonstration of FAITH in God. When I forgive someone I try to focus and concentrate on pleasing God and not on the one who has wronged me. Since forgiveness goes against our very natures and our primal instinct for revenge, there is no alternative but to forgive through faith and in obedience to God. It has to be spiritual and not carnal.

How can we do such a thing when we are often wounded and/or blinded by hate for those who have wronged us? Remember we can do all things THROUGH Christ. We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete. As with other acts of faith, God honors our commitment to obey Him and our desire to please him when we choose to forgive. Thus forgiveness becomes more about US and our walk with God than the person(s) that we forgive, (that knowledge helps).

Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian woman who survived a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust, said it best when describing this concept, “Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you.”

Forgiveness should be genuine. If it’s not legitimate, God wants no part of it and you will not be set free from its chains. I remember when I was growing up my parents would force me to “forgive” someone who had wronged me, (usually my brother). Mine was not genuine forgiveness, I would offer up some lip service, but I can assure you it was a temporary condition of feigned forgiveness until I could get him alone and whap him on his head and gain my revenge.

This is not the type of forgiveness that God requires. In Mark 7:6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites, Isaiah described you beautifully when he wrote: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’ These teachings are but rules made by men.”

I encountered an incredible act of forgiveness over the weekend. Someone wrote me and told me they had seen me speak somewhere and wanted to purchase my book, Miracle on Luckie Street, for their spouse who was in jail awaiting sentencing for stealing. He had become addicted to drugs and of course that demonic existence had cost him everything including family, friends, and an important position as a vice president. The person writing to me had filed for divorce. I didn’t get the gory details, but I’m sure she had gone through hell in dealing with the addiction. In spite of all of the pain she had endured she was doing her absolute best to get some help for the very person who had badly wronged her. Surely this type of compassion can only come from heaven.

Folks don’t ever think God needs help exacting retribution on a sinner. He does not need our help. That guy sitting in jail is suffering plenty, make no mistake about it.

Remember that God looks at us all with a love that is incomprehensible. He doesn’t look at us in our current condition, rather what we could be if we get His help. I’m glad of that because when I hitch hiked into Atlanta so many years ago my heart was as black as the deepest cavern. He showed mercy on me and He wants me to do likewise to others. How can I say no? How can you?

You may have had a spouse run around on you, or someone lie about you, or insult you behind your back, or even to your face, or steal your favorite toy, or on and on and on. So what Show your FAITH in God and forgive them in your heart (and to them if they will let you). Pray to God that He will give you faith. Realize that many acts of faith are difficult and that it is not always easy to live the Christian life and obey God’s commands. Trust in God though and He will set you free as no one can and you can then soar with Him like an eagle.

Luke 17:3-5 (Phi) “So be careful how you live. If your brother offends you, take him to task about it, and if he is sorry, forgive him. Yes, if he wrongs you seven times in one day and turns to you and says, ‘I am sorry’ seven times, you must forgive him. And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘give us more faith.'”