Colossians 3:13 - Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
In my last post, I discussed the picture of forgiveness, which was Christ requesting forgiveness of his enemies up on the cross. Today, we will discuss the charge of forgiveness.
Colossians 3:12 gives us our status in Christ. We are chosen by God, holy and dearly loved. As a result, we ourselves should take on the characteristics of: compassionate hearts, mercy, humility, kindness, gentleness, and patience. The actions of verse 13 are actually results of what happens in verse 12. Because of our status in Christ, once we have put on His characteristics, the result that follows is that we bear with one another and forgive one another. When looking at the Greek definition of the word "to bear", some the English equivalents are, "to regard with tolerance", "to endure", and "to put up with" (BDAG). The word picture that comes to mind is of a horse that has a fly buzzing all around him and all the horse does is wiggle his ears a little, never swashing the fly with its tail!
I think that sometimes, we as Christians, think that every moment together is to be a campfire "kumbaya" moment. However, the Apostle Paul knew better and warned us for those other times. As the Body of Christ, we are still imperfect people, redeemed by the blood of Christ. We still possess qualities of our sinful nature and we sometimes allow them to get the better of us. However, when others mistreat us, we are first to bear with one another.
The second thing we are to do as a result of the characteristics of Christ we have taken on in our lives is we are to forgive one another freely. The Greek word used here gives the picture of graciously forgiving a wrongdoing (BDAG). In other words, it is not a half-hearted spoken, "I forgive you," but a full extension of grace and love made by the person who had been wronged. This is hard for many because our nature desires to sulk, gossip, and stay wounded. For, in that state, there is attention. However, the attention should not be on us, but on Christ. Therefore, the longer we wallow in unforgiveness, the longer we misrepresent Jesus. Verse 13 ends with the picture of Christ. Just as Jesus willingly and freely forgave you, so you also willingly and freely forgive.
The Challenge today is to examine the characteristics listed in Colossians 3:12-13. What characteristics do you need to "put on?" Ask God to help you in these areas. Also, list the people in your life that you need to bear with and freely forgive. Think about how Jesus forgave you and use that as a stepping stone in your journey.
You Are Becoming... So Who Are You Becoming?
Showing posts with label Body of Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Body of Christ. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Daily Challenge- June 23 - The Cycle of Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14-15 - "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
In my last post, I discussed the charge of forgiveness. Today, we will discuss the cycle of forgiveness. These words of Jesus seem a bit harsh, yet show the serious nature of his command. Forgiveness happens as a result of what has been done for you by the Father. Since you have been forgiven, so you have the responsibility to forgive.
The parable of the Unforgiving Servant gives the perfect illustration of how we often respond to God's grace. This story can be found in Matthew 18. The story begins with a king who asks his servant to pay back a debt, which was equal to about 10,000 bags of gold. When the servant declared that he did not have the money, the king ordered that his wife and children be sold in order to repay the debt. The servant begs for mercy and the king had pity on him and thus cancelled the debt in its entirety. As the servant leaves, he sees a fellow servant who owes him 100 silver coins. When he sees his colleague, he grabs him by the neck and threatens, "Give me back what you owe me!" The fellow servant falls on his knees and asks for more time, promising to pay it all back. Instead of showing mercy, the first servant refuses. Instead he goes off and has his colleague thrown in jail for not paying back the little money owed to him. When the other servants saw what happened, they told the king. The king called the servant in and told him he was wicked because he had not shown mercy after he had been given mercy. The servant was then handed over to be tortured until he could pay back his great debt.
Our tendency is to be like the wicked servant. We beg for God's mercy and forgiveness. Then, once we have it, we immediately forget about the great act of love which had been shown to us. Instead of being humbled by His mercy, we think of ourselves as superior. Then, when someone asks forgiveness from us, we, like the wicked servant, we cannot simply cancel the debt, but make them work and strive towards our forgiveness. This is not what Christ asks us to do. He asks us to simply cancel the debt. In essence, we are to make the offense disappear. We are to let it go and to never bring it up again, not to that person nor to anyone else. If we do not do that, we can expect severe consequences from God because we are not living out the forgiveness that He has given us and we are therefore not being genuine disciples of Christ.
The challenge today is to examine yourself. Who have you said to yourself that you have forgiven, but you know in your heart you haven't? Who are you keeping tethered to unforgiveness? Let go and by God's mercy give them the forgiveness they deserve. When we forgive others, we are truly able to enjoy God's forgiveness in our own lives.
In my last post, I discussed the charge of forgiveness. Today, we will discuss the cycle of forgiveness. These words of Jesus seem a bit harsh, yet show the serious nature of his command. Forgiveness happens as a result of what has been done for you by the Father. Since you have been forgiven, so you have the responsibility to forgive.
The parable of the Unforgiving Servant gives the perfect illustration of how we often respond to God's grace. This story can be found in Matthew 18. The story begins with a king who asks his servant to pay back a debt, which was equal to about 10,000 bags of gold. When the servant declared that he did not have the money, the king ordered that his wife and children be sold in order to repay the debt. The servant begs for mercy and the king had pity on him and thus cancelled the debt in its entirety. As the servant leaves, he sees a fellow servant who owes him 100 silver coins. When he sees his colleague, he grabs him by the neck and threatens, "Give me back what you owe me!" The fellow servant falls on his knees and asks for more time, promising to pay it all back. Instead of showing mercy, the first servant refuses. Instead he goes off and has his colleague thrown in jail for not paying back the little money owed to him. When the other servants saw what happened, they told the king. The king called the servant in and told him he was wicked because he had not shown mercy after he had been given mercy. The servant was then handed over to be tortured until he could pay back his great debt.
Our tendency is to be like the wicked servant. We beg for God's mercy and forgiveness. Then, once we have it, we immediately forget about the great act of love which had been shown to us. Instead of being humbled by His mercy, we think of ourselves as superior. Then, when someone asks forgiveness from us, we, like the wicked servant, we cannot simply cancel the debt, but make them work and strive towards our forgiveness. This is not what Christ asks us to do. He asks us to simply cancel the debt. In essence, we are to make the offense disappear. We are to let it go and to never bring it up again, not to that person nor to anyone else. If we do not do that, we can expect severe consequences from God because we are not living out the forgiveness that He has given us and we are therefore not being genuine disciples of Christ.
The challenge today is to examine yourself. Who have you said to yourself that you have forgiven, but you know in your heart you haven't? Who are you keeping tethered to unforgiveness? Let go and by God's mercy give them the forgiveness they deserve. When we forgive others, we are truly able to enjoy God's forgiveness in our own lives.
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