Matthew 5:23-24
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” –

DAILY READING  -1 Corinthians 10; 2 Kings 3; Amos 8
The Christian Broadcasting Network [CBN] recently featured a story that displayed an ultimate sign of forgiveness.  It is the story of  a 59 year old lady , Mrs. Mary Johnson, who adopted the youth that had killed her only son.

Mrs. Johnson’s son, was killed by a teenager named Oshea, following an argument that occurred at a party held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a result of the killing, Oshea who was only 16 years old at the time, was tried and convicted as an adult and given a 25-year jail sentence.

Mrs. Johnson who was very bitter and heartbroken, wanted him to face the full weight of the law.  Though a Christian she found it difficult to forgive. However with time, God began to work on her heart. As she began to listen to the promptings and leadings of The Spirit, she was encouraged to make contact with her son’s killer and forgive him, as a way of letting go of the pain, hurt and hatred.

Mrs. Johnson, who is a well-liked local teacher and devout Christian reached out to Oshea and began visiting him in prison. Eventually the two of them embarked on forging a new relationship. Oshea served 17 years out of his 25-year jail sentence before being released at the age of 33 years.

On his release from prison in 2010, he was astounded to find that Mrs. Johnson had  arranged a homecoming party for him. It was overwhelming for him to see the community gather to welcome and forgive him.

Furthermore, Mrs. Johnson invited Oshea to move into her neighborhood and live next door to her. And today, Oshea and Mrs. Johnson are next door neighbors, and he calls her ‘mom’. Being re-integrated into society, Oshea was unwilling to let Mrs. Johson’s clemency and forgiveness go to waste. Determined to become a respected member of society, he has enrolled in college and is taking night classes as he works in a recycling plant during the day.

Together Mrs. Mary Johnson and Oshea travel around the world speaking at conferences about the power of forgiveness.

Ephesians 4:32 encourages us to be tender hearted, not adamant, ready to forgive even as God has forgiven us.

Learning to forgive is one of the most important lessons one must learn in life. As Christians, forgiveness is the basis of our faith. We learn to forgive because we are instructed by God to do so.

Matthew 5:23-24 says

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

We also need to be forgiven ourselves. We are not perfect people and we often make mistakes. Everyone has offended God at one time or the other. Despite this, He did not cast us away but allowed us to confess our sins and return to Him.

Jesus says clearly offenses will come. No matter who you are, the one guarantee you have about life is that you will be offended at one time or the other. We must always remember that it does not really matter why someone has chosen to hurt us. What really matters is that we recognize that forgiveness is a necessity.

Many people, right now, are walking around carrying tremendous hurts, anger, feelings of revenge and hatred towards someone, and they cannot let go. But if you do not release those feelings in forgiveness, the only person who will be hurt is you!

Unforgiveness is life-destroying. It is the root of many terminal illnesses. And in medical books unforgiveness is listed as a disease.

Forgiveness has less to do with the guilty person’s reaction to it. It’s about obeying God’s instruction to forgive. It is also a decision not to allow yourself to be victimized twice by giving the pain room to continue to operate in your life and affect you. A native proverb says unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

Forgiveness liberates your heart from the anger and pain. It means you have moved on with your life and no longer  continually victimized by rehearsing that issue or incident.

The forgiving process means letting go and leaving all judgment to God.

Romans 12:20 says  “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

Simply, obey God’s instruction to love your enemies and leave the judgment to Him. Even when you feel betrayed and let down, God’s grace is available to help you put it all behind you. No matter where you are in life, no matter what you have done in the past, or what someone else has done to you, Jesus is able to wipe the slate clean.

He is able to heal, make us whole and cause His peace to flow like a river through our hearts.

PRAYER: Lord, please grant me the grace to forgive anyone who has hurt me in anyway. Wherever there is still any root of bitterness or anger in my life, please uproot it and fill my heart rather with your peace and joy. May I continually be free from every negative emotion, and even as I strive to live as a reflection of Christ on earth, in Jesus Name.
QUOTE

Your attitude always determines  your altitude in life. -WORDBITE 222.

[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK REJOICE]