Regular heart examination is good for my soul, so-
Soul, What should be my purpose (or motive) in granting forgiveness?
Well, it's not to feel good about myself.
not so that others may like me
not so that I'll sleep at night
not so that others will whisper about me, "Ah, what a good woman!"
But I'm a Christ follower, and God commands me to forgive, "even as Christ forgave so you must do" (Colossians 3:13 NKJ)
And when I obey God's commandment to forgive, then I honor and please the Lord who loved me enough to die for me-pleasing the Lord, that's what my life is all about, right? (2 Cor 5:9)
By granting forgiveness I do good to another-I lift the burden and actively love my neighbor as myself-and my own heart is affected; have you ever noticed how granting forgiveness humbles our proud hearts-truly humble. . .that's a good place to be.
Finally, by granting forgiveness I adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour (Titus 2:10)
hmmm, to display the beauty of the Gospel. . .a worthy purpose and pursuit, indeed.
(And of course, there's more!)
1 comment:
This concept (loving as Christ loves and all that this includes) has been surrounding me lately. I love to read your thoughts about while it is following me around. :)
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