Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- February 20, 2013
Love keeps no records of wrong. 1 Corinthians 13:5
Record keeping of wrongs is taboo for those who love lavishly. Love funnels all its focus toward forgiveness and relational restoration. It refrains from retaining resentment which leads to wasted emotional energy. Yes, unforgiveness maintains a mental checklist of grievances that offers the enemy an entrance to encroach into a soul’s spiritual stability. Love is not an account ledger that credits rights and debits wrongs. Love is a white board that regularly erases infractions and hurts.
Do you bear the burden of accounting for all injustices committed against you? Are you weary of wishing you had not been wronged? If so, look into the keyboard of your heart and by God’s grace press the delete button of forgiveness and erase external irritations. Start with a clean slate and your spirit will be set free to rest and enjoy God and people. Let go of harmful words that broke your heart and let the Lord mend it with love. A mind at peace is the fruit of forgiven love.
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them. Romans 4:8
Since the Lord’s love doesn’t keep records of wrongs against us, we are wise to forgive ourselves of past guilt. The command to love ourselves includes not having a standard higher than God’s toward our transgressions. We are either forgiven of all or not forgiven at all. Jesus Christ’s redemption is not partial, but whole. He does not pick and choose cleansing based on the degree of our offense. Hallelujah we are categorically and fully forgiven of past, present and future sins!
Therefore, since Christ doesn’t count your sins against you, you can’t count your offender’s sins against them. Your forgiving love chooses to wipe away hurtful infractions. Indeed, ask the Holy Spirit to repair relationships broken by another’s bad behavior: broken trust, broken promises, broken romance, broken cars, homes and bank accounts. Offer up your broken and contrite heart to God, receive His healing love and forgiveness and then extend His forgiven love to others.
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Psalm 32:1
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you for Your forgiven love, give me grace to lovingly forgive.
Related Readings: Psalm 32:2, 103:12; Romans 4:6-11; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 3:13
Post/Tweet today: Jesus has either forgiven us of all our sin or not forgiven us at all. #forgive
Blessed by these readings?: pray about giving a donation, click… http://bit.ly/KArLE5
© 2012 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved.
Wisdom Hunters Resources / A registered 501 c3 ministry
info@mail.wisdomhuntersdevotional.com / www.wisdomhunters.com
Comments are closed.
This is actually promoting the endangering of people, especially of physically abused women, that are in dangerous relationships. I encourage the author to provide better context for his readers by reading about how these relationships wrongly model Gods love for us. A wrong relationship, even with love involved, should not be encouraged.
The wisdom written here is inspired by Spirit and truth. Im thankful the author is doing Gods will by teaching us to respond wisely instead of worldly.
I understand the message being conveyed. I have had to forgive someone in my past who was very physically and emotionally abusive towards me. This certainly does not mean I STAYED in the relationship, quite the contrary, I fled from it. They have been forgiven by me though, and I have moved on, towards God.
It is a tricky thing, forgiving someone who has been abusive to you. It almost seems as if by forgiveness you are endorsing their bad behavior. How does one handle forgiveness, while protecting oneself from an abusive relationship.
It is difficult to forgive, however forgiveness is not about the abuser, and it does not mean you stay in a situation where you could be harmed physically or mentally. Forgiveness sets you free to move forward~forget what lies behind, and press on toward the victories and blessings ahead. Forgiveness sets you free. The other person, whatever they have done or said, no longer holds you hostage, nor does the enemy.