In February 2024, Goose released Mission Briefing 12: Unpromotable. In this mission brief he laid out the importance of doing the work to be ready for promotion. Most of us want to be used by God but aren’t seeing Him at work in us or calling us up to a new task. The writers of the New Testament make it abundantly clear that our relationship to God is directly impacted by our relationship to others. In 1 Peter 3, we see that the way we treat our wives can hinder our prayer being heard and in Matthew 18, we see that if we do not forgive our fellow servants then we will not be forgiven. Jesus says this again in Matthew 6:14-15 after instructing his followers on how to pray.
“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”
Forgiveness is not easy but when we forgive, we best represent Jesus to the individual and the world. Jesus did not wait for sinners to ask for forgiveness. When people were brought to Him for healings, we often see Him forgiving their sins before healing them physically and without their asking.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Forgiveness always comes at a cost and that cost is solely carried by the forgiver. If you wait for the offender to “make things right” or try to get “even”, then you are not forgiving, you are taking payment for the offense. Instead, forgive them, let it go, do not harbor the offense any longer.
If you can tell the individual that you forgive them, then do so. Some of us need to forgive someone that we will never see again. Forgive them anyway. Some of us need to forgive someone that we share a home with. Don’t wait.
He is calling you to Himself and has made the immeasurable payment for your sins. Don’t wait to forgive. Forgive now, set yourself free from the burden of carrying the offense and be made right in the presence of our King.
Flint