Daily Devotion: Forgive and Forget

Scripture:
Matthew 7: 1-5

Main Verse:
Matthew 7: 4
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

Observation:
There were many passages in the Bible where the Lord warns us about judging others. Matthew 7: 1-5 is one such passage. The Lord tells us that before we start criticizing others, we need to evaluate ourselves first. Matthew 5: 21-26 also tells us that before giving the Lord our offering, we should reconcile with a brother or sister who has offended us. In Luke 6: 36-37, the Lord says if we condemn others, we will also be condemned. But if we forgive others, we will also be forgiven.

Why does the Lord want us to forgive others? Jesus wants us to face the people who have offended us and be reconciled with them. When we harbor resentment in our hearts, then we are not totally ready to receive the Lord's forgiveness and grace in our life. Forgiving others and making peace with others is a direct command from the Lord. In John Bevere's #BaitofSatan, he said "God’s plan often causes us to face hurts and attitudes we don’t want to face. The offenses from which we are tempted to run will bring strength to our lives." Truly, these trials give us the courage to face even harder problems that may come our way.

Application:
When someone has hurt me, I often tell others that I have already forgiven the person, but my heart has not fully healed from the pain. I even start talking to others about what this person had done to me! And then I start criticizing and condemning what the person did. But as I read the book #BaitofSatan, I realize that if we are still hurting from the pain that others has caused us, then we have not really forgiven the person yet. If we really want to be at peace with ourselves, we need to forgive those that have offended us completely, and forget their offenses. We need to stop judging them for their offenses. In this kind of situation, we should always ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do, and what would He want me to do?" Let us always ask the Lord to lead our way so we can make wise and godly decisions.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for correcting my thoughts and for making me realize my shortcomings. Thank you for the understanding that comes from reading your Word. I pray, oh Lord, that I may always guard my emotions so I may be able to face hurts and offenses. This I pray in Jesus's name. AMEN.