Oct 30 – FORGIVE, FORGET!

“And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
The characteristic of forgiving is a divine one. If you do not forgive and keep the anger and bitterness within you, it will pave the way for satan to dwell in you. If you forgive and forget, your heart will become light. It will also help to get filled with the Holy Spirit.
For knowing to what level one should forgive, the Scripture shows the forgiving characteristic of Christ as the limit. Jesus Christ descended to earth from heaven to forgive you. He shed blood on the Cross for our sake and washed away all our sins and cleansed us. The Scripture says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).
Apart from forgiving us, God also promises not to remember our sins anymore (Hebrews 8:12). How to remain without thinking of it? Yes. He hurls all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. He makes your heart white and weighs like cotton by removing all the sins looking as red as crimson.
You, who follow the footsteps of Christ, should forgive your brothers as Christ did. Is it not? You can taste the divine love perfectly, only when you forgive them.
Jesus said, “And whenever you stand praying if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:25, 26).
The sickness and sorceries overcome a person only when he refuses to forgive others. If you see that the thoughts of bitterness and zeal are within you, pluck them along with the roots and throw them out. If you do so, the fountains of blessings will begin to secrete in you.
Dear children of God, if you have bitterness and zeal over anyone, forgive them and pray for them. Then God will specially bless you.
To meditate: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).