Forgiveness

How many times have we heard someone say,"I'll never forgive him for what he did." Perhaps we have even said something like this ourself. As we draw near to the holiest day of the Christian year,we need to remember that forgiveness is one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith.We have no greater example of forgiveness than Our Lord's forgiveness of Peter after he denied Him three times prior to His crucifixion.Jesus not only forgave Peter,but told him to, "feed my sheep," which meant he was to teach and care for those who would later come to be called Christians.Our Lord repeatedly stressed the necessity of forgiveness. In the prayer He gave us called, "The Lord's Prayer," we read;"forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."Shortly after this prayer He again says:"For if you forgive their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." In the sixth chapter of Matthew Jesus says,"forgive and ye shall be forgiven." Jesus told Peter that he was to forgive those who sinned against him seventy times seven times.For those who profess to be Christian but cannot find it in their heart to forgive,should read Our Lord's parable of the ungrateful servant found in the eighteeneth chapter of Matthew.Suffice to say,as Christians,we must forgive others who sincerely seek our forgiveness.

In closing,we must not forget that forgiveness should also extend to ourselves in terms of our relationship with Jesus.Many express that because of what they have said or done,or how they have lived,that God could never forgive them.Nothing could be further from the truth.Scripture tells us over and over again that we can obtain His forgiveness.Anytime someone says that their sins are too great to be forgiven,remind them of the account in the Bible of David and Bathsheba.David,who was a "man after God's own heart," not only committed adultery with another man's wife,but he conspired to have that innocent man killed.David was punished for his sins but he was most certainly forgiven for them by God.

Heavenly Father,may we find it in our heart to forgive others, as you forgive us. Amen