“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." ~ Matthew 6:14,15
Jesus gives a startling warning about forgiveness: If we refuse to forgive others, God will also refuse to forgive us. Why? Because when we don't forgive others, we are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God's forgiveness. God's forgiveness of sin is not the direct result of our forgiving others, but it is based on our realizing what forgiveness means. It is easy to ask God for forgiveness, but difficult to grant it to others. Whenever we ask God to forgive us for sin, we should ask ourselves, "Have I forgiven the people who have wronged me?"
"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby." ~ 1 PETER 2:1-2 NKJV
We are human beings, we aren't perfect, we are sometimes envious of each other. A human soul is created by love, envy poisons the spirit, the mind and the body. God’s Word warns us that envy is sin. Thus, we must guard ourselves against the natural tendency to feel resentment and jealousy when other people experience good fortune. As believers, we have absolutely no reason to be envious. After all, as Christians we are already recipients of the greatest gift in all creation: God’s grace. We have been promised the gift of eternal life through God’s only begotten Son, and we must count that gift as our most precious possession.
So here’s a simple suggestion that is guaranteed to bring you happiness: fill your heart with God’s love, God’s promises, and God’s Son . . . and when you do so, leave no room for envy, hatred, bitterness, or regret.
Discontent dries up the soul. ~Elisabeth Elliot
How can you possess the miseries of envy when you possess in Christ the best of all portions? ~C. H. Spurgeon
Is there somebody who’s always getting your goat? Talk to the Shepherd. ~Anonymous
What God asks, does, or requires of others is not my business; it is His. ~Kay Arthur
Too many Christians envy the sinners their pleasure and the saints their joy because they don’t have either one. ~Martin Luther
TODAY’S PRAYER Dear Lord, when I am envious of others, redirect my thoughts to the blessings I have received from You. Make me a thankful Christian, Father, and deliver me from envy. Amen
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you...” ~ Mark 11:25, AMP
On a popular Jamaican morning radio programme listeners are encouraged to throw all their negative burdens into an audio truck they'd hear at a special segment of the show. Dealing with the stresses in life is paramount to ones sanity, health, and, survival. Most of unresolved issues a person faces hinges on a lack off access to its solution. Forgiveness opens the door of resolution.
Suppose I told you, everything around has a beginning, every beginning a creator, and life a master key? Do you believe? Connect with the Master Creator today, bring all your burdens, he'll help you on your way.
"So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.". ~ Matthew 5:19
Some of those in the crowd were experts at telling others what to do, but they missed the central point of God's laws themselves. Jesus made it clear that obeying God's law is more important than explaining it. It's much easier to study God's laws and tell others to obey them than to put them into practice. Don't just talk about the law, live it. How are you doing at obeying God yourself?
