Bible Verse of the Day Tuesday January 4th 2022

Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

This verse is a decree or mandate from God from the Apostle Paul passed along to all who read this. It is an instruction from the one that bore our sins upon Himself. Human nature fell upon us from our first parents that tried to hide from God when they realized they had sinned against their creator. This fall set up enmity between God and humanity; like our first parents, we could not bear even the thought of God, as lost people. 

 

A man once found out that his wife was having an extramarital affair with another man. No one could console this man, even though his wife pleaded with him for forgiveness and begged him to take her back; he filed for divorce. His wife did not give up; she tried to make amends for a few years, but the husband would not even entertain the thoughts of reconciliation. Finally, his wife gave up and married a young widower with two children. They lived the rest of their lives happy and content while the husband carried a grudge for the rest of his life. He often said that he was miserable and lived his life out in bitterness. 

 

There is no question that unfaithfulness to our spouse is wrong; however, void of forgiveness, the only thing left will be bitterness. When we allow anger to take hold in our lives, no matter how justified we might believe we are, it becomes a driving force that will lead to loneliness and resentment. Anger and unforgiveness are somewhat like an addicting drug; the longer we hold on to it, the larger the doses we will require. 

Forgiveness is driven by unconditional favor towards others, with no preconditional strings attached (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 2:13). 

 

As Christ Jesus forgave us, true forgiveness is based solely upon our graciousness to the other person. It is not dependent on any rewards or compensations we might derive from it. Dr. Grant Richardson once wrote: When we forbear, we hold everything back; we hold nothing against when we forgive. Forbearance refuses to demand what is deserving. Forgiveness gives more than what is deserving. What a beautiful balance of attitude!

 

Bitterness and unforgiveness are dangerous; they can devastate our souls and lives. Some might ask: “How can I keep myself from being resentful and embittered when I have been hurt so badly by another? The answer is simple: when you look into the eyes of the one you are forgiving, don’t see their eyes but see the eyes of the one who forgave us, when we most certainly did not deserve forgiveness. 

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