“We talk glibly about forgiving when we have never been injured; when we are injured we know that it is not possible, apart from God’s grace, for one human being to forgive another.” Oswald ChambersIn her book “Choosing Forgiveness” Nancy Leigh DeMoss states,
“I’ve come to believe that, whether they realize it or not, unforgiveness is, in fact, a very real issue for most people. Almost everyone has someone (or ones) they haven’t forgiven. Whenever I have spoken on this subject, after defining and describing forgiveness form a biblical perspective, I have asked the audience the question: ‘ how many of you would be honest enough to admit that there is a root bitterness in you heart that there are one or more people in your life-past of present that you’ve never forgiven?’”Colossians 3:13-“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Mark 11:25-“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that you Father also who is in heaven may forgive your trespasses.”“Anything against anyone.” That pretty much covers the bases. Doesn’t it? No offence is too great, no offender is beyond the boundary to which our forgiveness must extend. Our fellowship with God requires it and depends on it. So if we as believers persist in unforgiveness, our hearts are forced to wrestle with the fact that our actions amount to disobedience. The pathway of resentment and retaliation-God calls us to the pure, powerful, choice of forgiveness- and to pursue, wherever possible, the pathway of restoration and reconciliation. The outcome of our lives in not determined by what happens to us but by how we respond to what happens to us.”
This has begun to get me thinking. Here are a few questions that I have asked myself before and have had apply to my own life……
1. Is there a person or circumstance you have blamed for the way your life has turned out?
2. Is there someone who has wronged you that you’re still trying to make pay for there offence?
3. Can you think of a situation where you retaliated or became resentful, rather than forgiving someone who hurt you?
I don’t know about you but, I’m pretty excited about New Attitude ’08! As I reflect back to Na ’07 I’m reminded of all the memories that were made and how faithful God was to convict me of sin and show me areas in my life that I needed to grow in. I’m amazed at the sustaining grace God in His mercy has poured upon my life since last May as we traveled to Na ’07. God has already begun to do a work in my heart this week in my quiet times as I’ve been preparing myself for the conference. This week is going to be pretty crazy for me with big events both nights before I leave. I will be going into the conference without much sleep, so please pray that God would give me a burst of energy as I arrive in Louisville.
