Morning Prayer, Friday, December 6, 2024 - WORD(S) OF THE DAY: FORGIVE THEM
Father God, please help me not to hold unforgiveness in my heart for anyone. Amen
“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.” (Matthew 5:43-44) (MSG)
“When a deep injury is done to us emotionally, we never recover until we forgive." It is easy to love those who love us back or are kind to us but what about that mean co-worker or church member that snubbed you. What about the next-door neighbor who allows their dog to poop on your beautiful lawn and they never pick it up. Lastly, what about the spouse who hurt you to your core? Jesus said to love them in spite of. Doesn't matter what they did to you. Forgive them! Someone shared a true story with me recently of a woman in the hospital. Her pastor and his son went to pray for her. Now most people they went to the hospital to pray for ended up surviving. They could both feel during the prayer that this woman had unforgiveness in her heart. When the pastor mentioned it to her, the response was, “It is my ex-husband and if it means I am going to meet God sooner than intended, then I will take it up with God when I get there because I will never forgive him.” They tried everything to get this woman to forgive her ex. She was determined it would never happen. Seven days later, she was gone from this earth. Forgiveness sometimes is hard but we cannot allow it to be so deeply rooted in our hearts that it cost us. Whatever the cost, it is not worth it. The person you are angry or mad with is living their life. You’re the one stuck. Let it go. The sooner the better because I have heard it said on many an occasion that some of the ills we face in this life, whether physically or emotionally has a lot to do with unforgiveness in our heart.
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"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.." John 3:16