“I Love You, Brother.” “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. (Luke 6:27-36 NLT) So watch yourselves! “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” (Luke 17:3, 4 NLT) “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any.” Mark 11:25 “Brother Copeland, some time ago I was deeply hurt by another Christian. I’ve tried to forgive, yet every time I see that person, I still feel angry and resentful. Will I ever be able to truly forgive?” I’ve been asked that question many times. And the answer is, “Yes, you can, and you must!” Unforgiveness is downright dangerous. It will make your spirit feeble and your prayers ineffective. It will pull the plug on your faith so completely that you won’t have enough power to move the molehills in your life—much less the mountains. In Mark 11, Jesus didn’t say, “When you stand praying, try to forgive” or “When you stand praying, forgive if you can.” He simply said, “Forgive.” Period. Jesus made forgiveness a command. It would be unjust for Him to command us to do something we couldn’t do. So you can be sure it’s within your power to obey His command and forgive—no matter how badly you’ve been wronged. Most people don’t realize it, but unforgiveness is actually a form of fear. Quite often we don’t forgive because we’re afraid of getting hurt again. We’re afraid we’re never going to recover from the damage that person has done to our lives. If you want to freely forgive, get rid of those fears. Cleanse yourself from them by the “washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26). Fill your mind and heart with promises of God that apply to your situation. If you’ll do that, I can assure you from my own experience, your feelings will change. It may not happen overnight...but it will happen. One of these days, almost without thinking, you’ll throw your arms around that person, give him a big hug and say, “I love you, Brother.” What’s more, you’ll mean it from the bottom of your heart. Speak the Word “I forgive those whom I have anything against so that my prayers are not hindered.” —Mark 11:25
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 13:24:55 +0000
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