77 TIMES?!

Good Morning! Halfway through the work week! Yay!!

Have you ever been hurt so badly by a friend, a relative, an enemy....that you thought "Wow, I can never forgive them for that?"

We are going to dig in today and see what the Bible tells us about forgiveness. I know its not always easy to forgive, but God really wants us to follow His example and keep forgiving and showing God's love to those people who hurt you.

Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?
Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Not only does God tell us to forgive others, but he tells us to forgive "seventy seven times".....this doesn't mean we are to count the number of times we forgive one person. If the same person continues to hurt you.....Keep on forgiving them, don't stop.

Just as God continues to forgive us, His children, for sinning! When we make a mistake all we have to do is pray and ask God to forgive us and He will....every time.
Colassians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31-32
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.

This verse in Ephesians not only tells us to forgive, but it also tells us to get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger. It says to be kind and compassionate to others.
You know how it is...someone hurts you....and instead of forgiving you hold it all in and then you become bitter towards them and angry and it keeps getting worse!

It feels SO much  better to forgive the people in your life who hurt you, and to move on. Treat them with God's love and be kind. Not only will it make YOU feel better, but they will feel the love and see something different in you! What a great way to be a witness to others!

Matthew 6:14-15
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.

Matthew tells us that when we forgive others, God will forgive us. This is so very important! Because we NEED and want God's forgiveness. Therefore, we need to forgive others.

I challenge you today, if someone has hurt you, give them a call, send them a text or email and tell them you forgive them. Its not easy, but it will be worth it.