The baggage of an unforgiving spirit
v 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
I’ve been reading the correspondence in a Christian magazine recently around the idea that God’s forgiveness of our sin is dependent on our learning to forgive others.
There have been those who say God’s forgiveness is utterly unconditional. Surely, they say, love and forgiveness can never be earned or merited in some way! God’s nature is to love and forgive without any pre-conditions.
Meanwhile, others look to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6 where He tells the disciples ‘But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.’ (v 15) In other words, if you cannot find it in your heart to forgive a person who has offended or hurt you, you cannot expect God to forgive you – you will go to the grave with your sin unforgiven. What will your eternal destiny look like then?
I have seen this unforgiving spirit in the life of a family – wrecking relationships, causing tension, and casting a cloud over normal social interaction. To love and pray for those who have caused us hurt heals both our minds and our spirits and brings people together. Try to keep a clean sheet in this area of life; a great deal of happiness and human well-being hinges on this one single thing. Anger and bitterness exist when a person holds on to such past experiences and will not let them go. The constant whine of ‘He did such and such’, or ‘she said such and such’, sucks the joy and delight out of relationships. No small wonder Jesus, in Matthew 5, also taught ‘If you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.’
Unforgiveness also wrecks our spiritual walk with God.
Reflect today on whether there is anything you need to deal with in this way.
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