Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
Several years ago, as I prepared a Sunday school lesson, I first found this verse in preparing a Sunday school lesson. I was caught by the last section. forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Recently, I read an obituary of a lady who had been a member of the church I attended as a teenager. It said that she had been a member of the BYKOTA Sunday school class. I remembered one of my friends back then telling some of us that the name stood for Be Ye Kind One To Another.
We need to be forgiving to one another because God has forgiven each of us for our sins. I am not aware of anything done by another person can compare to what we may have done when we sin against God. He forgave us when he was on the cross. We must learn to forgive those who have caused us hurt.
Later on, I had an occasion to confess something to a neighbor of ours. I wrote her a note and explained that I had said something that caused hurt to some of her family. She called me and said, “We’ve been friends for too long to let something like that come between us.” I truly felt forgiven for my error in judgment.
That neighbor lady now resides in heaven, and I know she is in my cloud of witnesses.
At the end of Jesus' discourse on the Lord's Prayer, Jesus tells us it is imperative that we forgive others in order for God to forgive us. (Matthew 6:14-15)
We all need to be ready and willing to forgive, Cecelia. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteMartha Jane: Our society seems to have forgotten that we need to forgive one another. Peace and blessings to you and yours.
DeleteForgiveness is one of those commands that Jesus gave us that we tend to overlook too often. People like to hold on to their petty grievances and grudges rather than take the humble road and ask for forgiveness...or to actually forgive another who wronged us. But oh, what a better place this world would be if we all practiced that commandment!! I'm so thankful that Jesus has forgiven me for all of my sins, now I must go and do likewise.
ReplyDeletePam: You are so right. We do hold onto our petty grudges and allow them to grow. I am sorry to say I know some people I know who call themselves Christians have not realize the importance of forgiving one another. Peace and blessings to you and yours.
DeleteSuch a beautiful statement from your neighbor! If only everyone could forgive so completely, our relationships would look so different.
ReplyDeleteLisa: I truly felt forgiven. She was a wonderful friend and neighbor. Thank you for reading this message.
DeleteForgiveness is so important, isn't it? Sometimes it can hard, but when we think of how God has forgiven us, then how could we not forgive others? Blessings to you Cecelia! I'm your neighbor at #oneword2023.
ReplyDeleteGayl: Hi neighbor! Thank you for your kind thoughts. As children of God, we have a lot to learn or relearn about the lessons He has taught us through Jesus. Peace and blessings to you and yours.
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