UNFORGIVENESS & ITS RESTITUTION
Memorise: Whosoever hateth his brother is a
murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. - 1
John 3:15
Read: 1 John 2:9-11 (KJV)
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in
darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none
occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in
darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded
his eyes.
Bible In One Year: 2
Chronicles 30-31; John 2
As children of God, we must always be watchful of pitfalls capable of
nullifying all our efforts towards making Heaven. For example, God expects you
to make restitution when you have told a lie incriminating an innocent person.
In the same vain, if you have injured someone, you need to restitute. An
example of this can be found in Acts
16:33-34, where the jailor who had contributed
to the predicament of Paul and Silas took them to his house, treated their
injuries and gave them decent food. Have you injured someone physically,
emotionally or psychologically? Restitute your ways. In addition, if someone
offends you so hard that you promised never to forgive the fellow, there is a
need to forgive and release that individual so that you can make Heaven at
last. Anyone who hates his brother has stepped out of God’s light into darkness
and is seen as a murderer in the sight of God (1 John 3:15). If you are in hatred, you are out of
eternal life. Has anyone offended you to the extent that you resolved not to
forgive? You must change that decision now if you do not want it to hinder your
trip to Heaven. I once hated a particular man very much, because of the way he
maltreated my family and I. But after I gave my life to Christ, I did not only
forgive him, I also went to tell him he was forgiven. It was not an easy thing
for me to do, but by the grace of God, I did it.
Is there un-forgiveness in your heart over some hurt or offence done to you? If
you love yourself, forgive today. Forgiveness must be communicated to the one
you have forgiven except it is done without sincerity. Some people say, “I have
forgiven my offender but I will not tell him so.” How will the fellow you
forgave know that he or she is forgiven? When a person is offended, it is like
being owed some kind of debt. It is when forgiveness is released that the debt
is paid. Refusing to forgive your offender sustains the debt, and we are
commanded not to owe any man anything but love (Romans 13:8). The irony of un-forgiveness is that the one who refuses to forgive
hurts himself or herself the most. The offender may be going about with a free
mind, but the offended carries a heavy heart. Also, by begrudging the offender,
the offended cannot move beyond where he or she is. Unforgiveness ties the
offended to the same spot. I hope you are not the one pegging your rise by not
releasing your offender?
Action Point: List the names of people you hold a grudge against or who
hold a grudge against you, and prayerfully reconcile with them immediately.
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