Sword of the word Series
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Sword of the word Scriptures about Forgivness
Comentary:
Forgiveness We must not hold on to any bitter hurts, rage or anger. We must not fight each other or say bad things about each other. We must not think or act out of spite. We should be friends and we should be kind to each other. We must forgive each other, just as God forgave us. God forgave us because of, and through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.” As a whole that we have to ask our Creator to forgive us, but that we also need to recognize that as a whole we must ask each other for forgiveness and grant forgive as well. Who should we forgive? Both those who have asked, and those who have not asked should be forgiven. If I can say to myself, I am as responsible for what you have done as you are for what I have done, I humble myself. Then I can stop being self-centered and forgive. It takes a lot of discipline, courage, and work to do this. But, the reward is tremendous. The deepest wounds feel like they'll last a lifetime, and sometimes they do when left un-forgiven. The causes for these pains come from all sorts of places. No matter what it was, we feel bitter. We hold a grudge. But, clinging to those betrayals and disappointments, that hurt, is bad for our body and mind. This pain plants a seed in our hearts that when left there, grows and grows, until it becomes a fully functional “Revenge Engine”. Then we become less trusting, more defensive, and more quarrelsome with others because we are still carrying around visceral pain. When we can't move past that, we stay a prisoner of our worst experiences. Feeling constantly on edge, resentful, frightened, and angry at the world is a bad place to be. It certainly isn't healthy. When we feel this way tend to say and think things like; “They don’t know what it feels like to be Me.”, or “Someone else needs to feel this pain too.” Then we set out to fulfill that desire and we do. Mathew 6:14-15 says “14 for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” This is not the only reason to forgive, but it is a very good one. It's inevitable that we'll all be hurt by others, and that it will likely happen often. People have accidents, make mistakes, behave selfishly and even intentionally try to hurt one another due to their own internalized pain. We can't escape it. Forgiveness is a vulnerable act that can feel like it opens us up to more pain. But we need to have a way to process and let go of the effects of our injuries, or we risk serious physical and emotional consequences. Indeed, experts say that forgiving those who have wronged us helps • lower blood pressure • lower cholesterol levels • Improve heart rate • Improve moodiness • Relieve depression • Improve outlook • And promote general well being One study found that forgiveness is associated with improved sleep quality, which has a strong effect on health. And Duke University researchers report a strong correlation between forgiveness and strengthened immunity among HIV-positive patients. The benefits aren't just limited to the physical, either: Letting go of old grudges reduces levels of depression, anxiety and anger. People who forgive tend to have better relationships, feel happier and more optimistic. They also tend to overall, enjoy better psychological well-being. Anecdotes support the research. Every human being on the planet has been injured by another's injustice. How we respond to that hurt can make all the difference in the world. If we dwell on negative emotions it makes us more likely to displace pent-up anger, lashing out on a friend or family member. This is huge!! When we refuse to forgive others for the pain they caused us, we lash out at people that do not deserve it and perpetuate the cycle of pain. Forgiveness helps quiet the anger so it doesn't spill over onto other innocent bystanders. If we become bent on holding grudges, we may become so wrapped up in past wrongs that we can't enjoy the present. We feel helpless, or like life is meaningless. We could even jeopardize our future relationships. If we don't get beyond some of the wounds of the past, we tend to bring them into everything else we pursue. Now that being said, no one ever said forgiveness was easy. It's a difficult process, one that takes serious hard work over months or even years. But like every long process that is worth the effort, the first step is to take that step and realize how our pent up anger and pain is destroying our lives.
Supporting Scriptures:
Matthew 6:14-15
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 18:21-35
Jesus told a story about forgiving people: “Then Peter came to Jesus. ‘Lord, if my brother keeps on hurting me, how many times should I forgive him?’ he asked. ‘Should I forgive him seven times?’ ‘No, not just seven times, but forgive him seventy times seven times’, Jesus said. The king wanted to collect all the money that his servants owed him. So he began to do this. Then they brought a man to him who owed him millions of silver coins. The man was not able to pay. So the master ordered them to sell the man, his wife, his children and all his possessions. The master would receive that money to pay the servant’s debt. Then the servant kneeled in front of the king. “Be patient with me”, he said. “I will pay back everything that I owe you.” And the master pitied him. So he forgave the servant for all that he owed. And he let the servant leave free. That servant went out then. But he found one of the other servants who owed him just a few silver coins. The first servant held the second servant firmly. He began to squeeze the second servant’s neck. “Pay back what you owe me!” he demanded. The second servant kneeled down in front of him. “Be patient with me and I will pay you back”, he said. But the first servant refused. Instead, he caused the authorities to throw the other servant into prison. And he had to stay there until he could pay back the debt. The rest of the servants saw what had happened. And they were very upset about it. So they told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the first servant to come back to him. “You wicked servant”, he said, “I forgave all your debt to me because you asked me to. You should have pitied the other servant, just as I pitied you!” His master was very angry. So he handed the servant over to the prison officers for punishment. He must stay in prison until he paid everything back to his master. You must forgive your brothers. My Father who is in heaven will act like this king towards each of you. So you must forgive them from deep inside yourselves.’”
Colossians 3:13
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Micah 7:18-19
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Matthew 26:28
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 11:25
25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
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"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity"
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