Matthew 6:14
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11:25
25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
God also tells us that we are to love one another -
John 13: 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
God also tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, but what if we don't love ourselves? What if we haven't truly grasped Gods love for us. If we can't love ourselves, how do we love others? Then I ask, do we hold forgiveness from others because we haven't forgiven ourselves? Do we still feel unworthy. Do we still think that our sins were too bad. Do we feel that God can't use us because we were just that bad. Or maybe it's not that we were that bad, maybe we think we are just not good enough. I'll let you off the hook - you're not and neither am I. But Jesus is! He is what we could never be. For 33 years He lived Sin free. He took everything on Himself, because God knew we could never bear it ourselves. We all need to really wrap our trust around the truth that because of the Holy Spirit that lives on the inside of us - we have - are and can do everything. Don't forgive with your feelings, don't love with your feelings, love and forgive with the power that Jesus died to give you.
1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins
Blessings,
Lynn
