If my wife hurts me with an unkind word, I do not need to have the last word.
I don’t need to get even, because her sin was laid on Jesus, and he has suffered horribly to bear it for her—and for me.
~ JOHN PIPER, Future Grace
Romans 8:1
If you hold a grudge...
If you stay angry too long...
If you insist on getting the last word...
...you shrink.
You forfeit your own joy.
It alerts you: Something is wrong! (...perceived or otherwise...)
But if anger won’t go home at the end of its day, call in the Peacemaker.
Ours is to love.
God’s is to settle accounts justly.
Remember who’s already paid for believers’ sins.
Remember who’s in charge of recompense (not you).
Remember who says your job is to love, not to pay back.
Saving faith is not merely believing that you are forgiven.
Saving faith means tasting this forgiveness as part of the way God is and experiencing it (and him!) as precious and magnificent.
Forgive
because of Him,
because He has forgiven you,
because forgiveness tastes delicious.
If you hold a grudge...
...you shrink.
But if you let the grudge slide away...
...you grow.
Grow!
Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.
Ephesians 4:31-32
* * *
Are you nursing a grudge?
Who do you need to forgive?
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14 comments:
Hi, Lisa,
Thanks so much for your visit to my blog. I am enjoying looking around here and will be back to read more...will be pondering these thoughts on forgiveness. Thank you for sharing!
Have a beautiful Wednesday!
"Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." I'm not sure who said this, but it has a ring of truth to it. So destructive and I may not even realize it's harming me.
Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love doesn't allow playing those scripts in the mind's eye to get angry all over again.
I love the blossoms and lush greenery to illustrate. We'll remain in Him as we forgive others and trust Him to restore the hurt we've experienced.
- Kim
Kim,
The “drinking poison” analogy definitely rings true. We’ve probably all experienced that in different degrees when we’ve held on to a grudge too long.
For some reason we think it satisfies us, justifying our right to feel hurt, when in actuality, if we will do the work of forgiveness (or allow God to do it in us!), much greater satisfaction lies on the other side of forgiveness.
As with most everything else, it goes back to having more faith…your last statement sums it up: remain in him and trust him. I want to more and more.
Hope you have a great day!
Good post!
Mama Bear
I love the visual of the flowers with your great post today.
After a lifetime of having to have the last word, which is complete insecurity, I'm beginning to learn to let it go. Interesting how the people with the most maturity and wisdom are always the ones to offer help and/or hope, but never need to have the last word.
Once we stop to consider this, they are the ones who's words speak volumes. I'm still climbing the ladder and seeing ever more clearly the higher God allows me to get, but I'm barely off the ground and a reminder is appreciated.
This is one I am marking to come back to over and over.
I never thought of anger in that way, as a symptom that something is wrong. Great analogy.
Oh Lisa ...
You had me at the Piper quote. And then the rest of the post? You nailed it, girl. Thank you for this.
"Remember who’s in charge of recompense (not you)." Good point. Excellent post...thanks!
a poignant post...i commented earlier on a IP post about a friend i recently went through this with...forgiveness for something unintended that happened over 5 years ago...
Lisa, I kept stopping to ponder each phrase...so much truth and mercy in these words...enough richness to override bitterness...if we would but listen and do.
Wisdom in this post Lisa. I posted about forgiveness yesterday too.
Our own freedom in Christ hinges on our ability to forgive others.
Bless you today,
Beth
oooh "forgiveness tastes delicious." i love this lisa. so wise, you. have a beautiful day :)
So interesting how anger is more painful to the angered than to the subject of the anger. Great post.
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