Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots (Luke 23:34). God wants us to see all of life from His perspective. This is especially true when it comes to our offenders – the people who have wronged and hurt us. One of the most helpful aspects of learning to forgive is to view our offenders as those that God has specially brought into our lives to accomplish His sovereign purpose. Job was a wealthy, respectable businessman, but one day his enemies made a surprise attack and stole his herds of cattle and donkeys and killed his servants. It would have been very easy for Job to have been bitter at his enemies; but instead, he said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). Notice that Job didnt say that his “enemies hath taken away.” Job was able to view his enemies as instruments in God’s hands that God was using to accomplish His plan and purpose which was greater and higher than anything Job could ever have imagined. Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers. He was taken into Egypt where he was falsely accused and put into prison and forgotten about. It would have been very easy for Joseph to become bitter toward his brothers, but instead he saw them as agents in God’s hands that He was using to accomplish His purpose. Years later when Joseph is reunited with his brothers, he said to them, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph was able to view his brothers as tools in God’s hands that God was using to accomplish His plan and purpose. As Jesus was looking at the very people that were nailing Him to that cross, He was able to forgive them. He saw that God was even using them to accomplish His Divine purposes because if Jesus hadnt gone to the cross, there would have been no salvation for you and me. Instead of getting angry and bitter toward the people that hurt us, we need to see them as tools in God’s hands that He is using to accomplish His purposes. He wants us to respond to those that wrong us with the kindness and forgiveness of Christ. Morris Hull Home Life Ministries Please consider sharing this posting on Facebook if you have found it to be helpful. Like the Home Life Ministries Facebook page to receive these daily updates in your Facebook News Feed. Check out our websites at hlm.org, CharacterTech and CharacterJournal.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 10:59:18 +0000
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