God’s Second Greatest Gift (Part 5)
Romans 12:17-18
Misconceptions about forgiveness
block the wonderful resource God has given for us to experience strong
relationships. We continue to learn
about God’s Second Greatest Gift.
I. Things Forgiving is Not
Forgiving is
not excusing, enabling, smothering conflict or tolerance, forgetting, ceasing
to feel the pain or instant emotional healing, waiting for an apology…
·
Forgiving is
not the removal of consequences or neglecting justice.
Trusting
Jesus for justice releases revenge.
A
relationship is weakened when one side uses shame to control
another.
·
Forgiving is
not regaining automatic trust.
Forgiveness
is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior.”
Rick Warren
The
breaking of trust is when your character changes in relation to another.
·
Forgiving is
not restoring the same relationship or reconciliation.
It
takes one person to repent and one person to forgive. But it
takes two people to reconcile.
We
will probably never understand why we were hurt. But forgiving is not
having to understand.
Proper
forgiveness is the only tool that can heal a damaged heart and
open a door to a better future than before the heart was broken.
How do you forgive someone who won’t repent?
·
Claim
God’s Provision to Wait
God
provides for the believer longsuffering as a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) to endure the attacks from others
with strength and dignity.
God’s
patience = the power of God over Himself. God’s restraint is the
flipside of His power.
Forgiveness
begins with mercy shown for the purpose of repentance.
When
taken for granted, mercy becomes enabling.
·
Call
out to God for guidance and strength!
