June 06, 2012
Forgiveness—A gift you give yourself. Peter asked, "How many times must I forgive?" And Jesus replies seventy times seven. Matthew 18:15 tells us what we are to do, "If your fellow believer sins against you." In Matthew 18:21, Jesus tells us how many times we should forgive, "When my fellow believer sins against me."
We are to forgive—period. No ifs, ands, buts, (or nasty lawsuits) about it. Whether it is a falsely perceived sin or legitimate sin, there is only one choice—FORGIVENESS. Holding on to bitterness only hurts yourself. Seeking revenge (lawsuit) only hurts yourself. Anger and revenge is a cancer of the soul.
Jesus tells the story of a man who owed a king a very large amount of money. The king was going to hold him accountable, but when the man begged for mercy, the king forgave him the millions he owed. This man, who was just forgiven for millions went to his servant who owed him a few dollars and demanded payment. When the servant asked for mercy the man refused to forgive him his debt and threw him in prison. When the other servants saw what happened, they went and told the king. The king called him in and said, "You evil servant! Because you begged me to forget what you owed, I told you that you did not have to pay back anything. You should have showed mercy to that other servant, just as I showed mercy to you." (Matthew 18:32) The king was angry and put the man in prison until he could pay everything he owed.
There is more than one kind of prison. There is the physical kind (with four walls) and then there is the prison of deceit, revenge, anger, and control that locks you up and prevents you from receiving the forgiveness and blessings God has for you. Jesus went on, "This king did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart." (Matthew 18:35) Forgiveness is not just an option, it is a requirement. If we want God's forgiveness we must give forgiveness.
Salvation and forgiveness:
a gift God gave us.
Forgiveness of our fellow believers:
a gift we give ourselves.
Forgiveness of anyone and everyone is a gift to ourselves and the people we come into contact with.
Holding a grudge brings poison and toxicity into every situation. Grudges. Anger. Vengeance. All cancers of the soul.
Addendum: 12/17/15 ~ Oh. My. Goodness! How did I miss this before? A flood light went on as I was entering what I wrote about the man who was forgiven millions and then went out and refused to forgive someone who owed him a small amount money. Oh. My. Goodness!
I wrote yesterday about the failed Settlement Conference where my sister and brother-in-law insisted we pay them an absurd amount of money. This was an amount they came up with. This is what they wanted. This was their demand. We don't have access to that kind of money even if we sold everything we own, but more importantly—WE DON'T OWE THEM ANYTHING!!
They are trying to recover from us the losses caused by their own bad decisions. They could have had their entire investment in our joint project back many, many times—but they refused every single offer. They appear to be driven by anger and revenge because the decisions they have made do NOT make any financial or logical sense.
My sister and brother-in-law have now failed at three separate businesses and they can't stand that we have a long-standing successful business. They aren't just trying to recoup a loss, they are also trying to profit off of us. They are continuing to try and force us to pay them a debt we don't owe, even though they were released from the MILLIONS they owed on one of their failed projects!! This failed project had nothing to do with us. They were also released from hundreds of thousands from what they owed on another property (again unrelated to us); and my brother-in-law was not held accountable for the $250k he took for his personal use from our joint project's Line Of Credit which he never returned.
Sadly, I don't think they feel gratitude for being released from such large debts. I'm fairly confident they feel like they saved themselves by being "smart" in sly business practices. But, the truth is they were released from very large debts and now they are trying to take from us what they have decided they want in spite of the fact that we don't owe them anything.
Oh. My. Goodness!! They are walking on very dangerous ground.
LORD, I pray you stop them in their tracks. Remove from them this lawsuit. Force them to release their grip on anger and revenge. LORD, I am not asking you to release us from this lawsuit, I am asking you to remove the lawsuit from them. What they have meant for our harm you have used for our good. What they thought would bring them good is destroying them. LORD, they will not stop on their own. So, in the strong name of Jesus I ask that you do whatever it takes to remove it from them. May the light of your truth reveal the lies, deceits, manipulations, and anything else that would keep them from being able to see truth.
Next Entry: Matthew 18:15 – 19:30 (Continued)
Forgiveness—A gift you give yourself. Peter asked, "How many times must I forgive?" And Jesus replies seventy times seven. Matthew 18:15 tells us what we are to do, "If your fellow believer sins against you." In Matthew 18:21, Jesus tells us how many times we should forgive, "When my fellow believer sins against me."
We are to forgive—period. No ifs, ands, buts, (or nasty lawsuits) about it. Whether it is a falsely perceived sin or legitimate sin, there is only one choice—FORGIVENESS. Holding on to bitterness only hurts yourself. Seeking revenge (lawsuit) only hurts yourself. Anger and revenge is a cancer of the soul.
Jesus tells the story of a man who owed a king a very large amount of money. The king was going to hold him accountable, but when the man begged for mercy, the king forgave him the millions he owed. This man, who was just forgiven for millions went to his servant who owed him a few dollars and demanded payment. When the servant asked for mercy the man refused to forgive him his debt and threw him in prison. When the other servants saw what happened, they went and told the king. The king called him in and said, "You evil servant! Because you begged me to forget what you owed, I told you that you did not have to pay back anything. You should have showed mercy to that other servant, just as I showed mercy to you." (Matthew 18:32) The king was angry and put the man in prison until he could pay everything he owed.
There is more than one kind of prison. There is the physical kind (with four walls) and then there is the prison of deceit, revenge, anger, and control that locks you up and prevents you from receiving the forgiveness and blessings God has for you. Jesus went on, "This king did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart." (Matthew 18:35) Forgiveness is not just an option, it is a requirement. If we want God's forgiveness we must give forgiveness.
"Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us." Matthew 6:12God freely sacrificed His son so we could be forgiven. A gift we did not deserve and cannot earn. How much more we should forgive those who have sinned against us.
Salvation and forgiveness:
a gift God gave us.
Forgiveness of our fellow believers:
a gift we give ourselves.
Forgiveness of anyone and everyone is a gift to ourselves and the people we come into contact with.
Holding a grudge brings poison and toxicity into every situation. Grudges. Anger. Vengeance. All cancers of the soul.
Addendum: 12/17/15 ~ Oh. My. Goodness! How did I miss this before? A flood light went on as I was entering what I wrote about the man who was forgiven millions and then went out and refused to forgive someone who owed him a small amount money. Oh. My. Goodness!
I wrote yesterday about the failed Settlement Conference where my sister and brother-in-law insisted we pay them an absurd amount of money. This was an amount they came up with. This is what they wanted. This was their demand. We don't have access to that kind of money even if we sold everything we own, but more importantly—WE DON'T OWE THEM ANYTHING!!
They are trying to recover from us the losses caused by their own bad decisions. They could have had their entire investment in our joint project back many, many times—but they refused every single offer. They appear to be driven by anger and revenge because the decisions they have made do NOT make any financial or logical sense.
My sister and brother-in-law have now failed at three separate businesses and they can't stand that we have a long-standing successful business. They aren't just trying to recoup a loss, they are also trying to profit off of us. They are continuing to try and force us to pay them a debt we don't owe, even though they were released from the MILLIONS they owed on one of their failed projects!! This failed project had nothing to do with us. They were also released from hundreds of thousands from what they owed on another property (again unrelated to us); and my brother-in-law was not held accountable for the $250k he took for his personal use from our joint project's Line Of Credit which he never returned.
Sadly, I don't think they feel gratitude for being released from such large debts. I'm fairly confident they feel like they saved themselves by being "smart" in sly business practices. But, the truth is they were released from very large debts and now they are trying to take from us what they have decided they want in spite of the fact that we don't owe them anything.
Oh. My. Goodness!! They are walking on very dangerous ground.
LORD, I pray you stop them in their tracks. Remove from them this lawsuit. Force them to release their grip on anger and revenge. LORD, I am not asking you to release us from this lawsuit, I am asking you to remove the lawsuit from them. What they have meant for our harm you have used for our good. What they thought would bring them good is destroying them. LORD, they will not stop on their own. So, in the strong name of Jesus I ask that you do whatever it takes to remove it from them. May the light of your truth reveal the lies, deceits, manipulations, and anything else that would keep them from being able to see truth.
Next Entry: Matthew 18:15 – 19:30 (Continued)
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