70 x 7

                                           
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:31

 Mark and I had the honor of visiting a local church last Sunday during the last of Mark's vacation time. The sermon was on forgiveness and centered on the above verse. It's a hard one. I am not one to hold a grudge, but as I listened the Holy Spirit tugged at my heart. I reflected on some recent nights where my thoughts were stewing and brewing. Beth Moore calls it nursing and rehearsing. As the pastor last Sunday put it, "If your'e telling people off in your daydreams, you probably have someone you need to forgive." "Herrrrrrrrrrrrre's your sign! " Ouch!

 At first, I denied that I might need to forgive someone. Iv'e been a Christian a long time so shouldn't I be above this? Mercy is one of my gifts and maybe I am not really mad or hurt? But no, read the headlines and the Fox news tickers.  People disappoint. People hurt. People abuse. People self-serve. People fail. People lie. People steal. People make excuses. Live long enough and in relationships with people and you will have the opportunity to forgive. In fact, I think the longer we live and the more we relate to others the more opportunities we will have. But God didn't call us to hide in our houses and run from relationships...he called us to forgive as He forgave us. The Hebrew verb tense for the word "forgive" in this verse means "to constantly give forgiveness as a gift;a life-style of forgiveness."  The pastor pointed out that Paul pinned the words of the verse above from a prison. I imagine he might have had some people he needed to forgive. He also pointed out that "forgiveness is not a destination, it's a decision."      It's hard to understand how releasing the debt owed to us can in turn set us free.  When we give our baggage to God (rage, bitterness, etc) our load gets so much lighter and His redemptive power works once again.

 The pastor gave these 3 practical steps that I found helpful. 

 1. Identify what and who you are angry with
2. Determine what they owe you or what they took away from you
3.Decide to cancel the debt 

 He encouraged people to make a list of things and then burn them or bury them. The messy side of this is that often the people we need to forgive the most are going to continue to commit actions or say things that offend us. We may have to practice forgiveness 70 x 7 and these can be the hardest people to forgive because we don't want to be forced to have to live a "lifestyle" of forgiveness , so it's easier to choose not to forgive them.  With people like these I try to remember that Jesus gave his very life to forgive all  who would believe, knowing many would never choose Him. Every time I forgive...again... I am going to picture myself  handing off a heavy suitcase to God. I don't want the baggage any more and as my load lightens I trust Him to deal with what's in the suitcase and to be the just God Scripture declares.

Comments

Barbara said…
This is such a good message. In the list, #1 and #2 are so easy. But, #3, not so much. Still working on it. Thanks for sharing these good words.
April 24, 2013 at 4:03 PM
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