Forgiveness [it's kind of a big deal]

  One of the hardest things for fallen man (and woman for you TNIV fans) to say and mean is "I forgive you." Some will cheaply throw this phrase around while still harboring the same resentful feelings of borderline hatred that they held to prior to the making of the statement. While others openly harbor resentment and refuse to ever let these words cross their lips. Perhaps the greatest faux pas on this blog post lies in the subtitle..."It's kind of a big deal." Forgiveness to God is a very big deal...in fact we find that it has very strong implications if we refuse to do so.

            For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,  but if   

                 you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 Matthew 6:14-15 

  

 In a slightly less-than-reputable song called, "Forgiveness," less-than-mediocre actress, Anna Faris sings, "Forgivess....is more than saying sorry..." Thank You Anna...this is so true. God is not concerned if you merely say "I'm sorry," or "I forgive you," He wants your heart to be in congruence with your words. Funny things is, this is a standard that Christ upholds in many situations. Ever the antagonists, the Pharisees constantly questioned the motives of Christ because his outer appearance looked different from their holier-than-thou masquerade. Christ, however, saw through their pious fashion and saw that their hearts were filthy. But I digress. If we say we forgive someone, we must forgive them. In fact, I would urge people to be quick to forgive. I realize that this is easier said than done. Yet, if we keep in mind that despite our wretched state, God saw fit to forgive us and extend grace, we mind find it easier to do the same for others. We have ALL sinned. If I have sinned against you in any way in my past. Let me be the first to apologize. I have been immature, deceiving, inconsistent with the faith that I claimed, hateful, spiteful, and slandering. For that, I beg forgiveness. Once again, I digress. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all deserve eternal hell. Yet, Christ extends grace and mercy because He knows that we are sinful individuals. We should strive to be Christ-like and forgive. If we do not forgive, our heavenly Father will not forgive us. That is Biblical. Pretty serious, right?