“Don’t waste precious time on the poison of unforgiveness.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – September 17, 2024
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
Someone recently asked me what I have been learning in my walk with God lately. I love this question because it made me look inward for what is happening in my heart, and upward in gratitude for God’s activity in my life.
After contemplating this for a moment, I had to answer, “I’ve been thinking about forgiveness lately because once you experience a life-threatening illness, and doctors are convinced you are going to die, there is nothing anyone can do or has done to you that you want to hold onto.”
As a result, I have relinquished hurts others have caused me. I have forgiven them because none of it truly matters. I desire to bless those who have wounded me and am motivated to see them through the lens of compassion. This has lifted the torment of unforgiveness from me and increased my peace.
The good news is that you don’t have to go through a crisis to experience the peace of forgiveness. It’s available to all of us as we look toward the urgency of eternity, the poison of unforgiveness, and the joy of letting our grievances go.
The Urgency of Eternity
When I consider the urgency of eternity, that none of us know how long we will be on earth, it puts life in perspective. This truth has caused me to desire to live with a “clean slate” and not waste precious time on unforgiveness, an activity without benefits that only brings pain. Now, grievances that once seemed significant pale in comparison to the light of eternity. What matters most is love, relationships, and sharing the Gospel. I want to live with an eye on eternity so that I live with a heart of wisdom.
Poison of Unforgiveness
When I think about how unforgiveness poisons one’s soul (mind, will, and emotions), I have been motivated to relinquish hurts. Unforgiveness and bitterness destroy compassion, cause you to quickly jump to conclusions, become defensive, cynical, critical, and perhaps gossip. It can make you self-centered, prideful, angry, judgmental, and cause you to believe that everything is always everyone else’s fault. In short, if we give into unforgiveness, we do the devil’s work. Not to mention that Jesus says if we don’t forgive others, we will not be forgiven. I want to stand before Him in eternity with a heart that is rightly aligned with His love and righteousness, don’t you?
The Joy of Forgiveness
Good news! Forgiveness, love, and humility are liberators! They set us free! They wash the poison out of the soul. They help us see that we too are guilty of sinning against others and when we admit our own guilt while embracing the love of Christ, and we also acknowledge that no one can do anything to us that can remove God’s favor from us. We can forgive. We will no longer try to use unforgiveness to make someone pay for how they hurt us. Then, we can pray for our enemies and bless those who persecute us. We can let people off the hook so we can be free, filled with God’s love and joy. And, even if we can’t have a relationship with the one who hurt us, we can still bless them and pray for them.
I invite you. . . don’t waste precious time on the poison of unforgiveness. The Lord has a better, more redemptive way for you to live. Choose joy, love, and humility instead. The Lord wants to restore, redeem, and bless you despite what has happened to you. You always have His favor, and He wants to remove the torment from you that unforgiveness is giving you.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:12-13).
Prayer
Lord, your main priority is love. You are love. We are called to live in your love and to love others. Lord, I forgive others as I have been forgiven. Thank you for liberating me through forgiveness. I forgive and bless those who have hurt me.
Application
This week, connect with the Lord and ask Him if there is anyone you need to forgive. Then bless them in prayer and if the Lord calls you to reach out to them in humility for reconciliation, do it.
Related Reading
Matthew 6:14-15; Ephesians 4:31-32; Matthew 18:23-35
Worship Resource
Kevin Levar: A Heart That Forgives
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