Daily Devotional – Thursday, May 20, 2021
He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
Psalm 103:9 (NLT)
Reconciling people is a hard task, especially when one or both parties are unwilling to forgive. Some people hold grudges that chain them in prisons of bitterness.
Let us admit that it is not easy to forgive. It is easier to hold a grudge. Why forgive someone who is not even asking for forgiveness? We ask.
In a previous devotional, we learnt that God commands us to forgive. Forgiving others is a requirement for God to forgive us.
Our focus today, though, is on God’s character, attitude and response towards forgiveness and holding grudges. In Psalm 103:9, we read, “He (God) will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.”
Unlike Satan, the accuser of the brethren, Jesus does not ‘constantly accuses us’. Once He has forgiven us, He bids us continue on the path of righteousness.
Unlike human beings, God will not say to you, “But I forgave you just the other day. You have now sinned twenty-seven times in the last one month…” No. When God forgives you, He forgets that sin. You start on a clean slate.
As followers of Christ, we need to learn from Him. We should not hold grudges. By the grace and power of Christ, we should forgive and let go. Let us avoid holding on to anger when people hurt us.
Anne Lamott had this to say about holding grudges, “Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.”
Is there a person you are unwilling to forgive? How long do you want to drink rat poison?
Father, help me to forgive those who hurt me and not to hold grudges.
Great lesson elder,,I liked the analogy of drinking rat poison,,we only end up hurting ourselves by not forgiving others.
Well-said, Brian. We suffer more damage than the person we are angry with. The vessel in which poison is poured is usually corroded by the stuff.
I admit it is easy to hold grudges than to forgive.
When you forgive you ease in yourself. Holding grudges makes one have alot of rot within self.
Let’s always forgive for us to ask for forgiveness from God.
Shalom
Amen, Pastor. We have abundant peace when we let go all the grudges in our hearts.
My father kept using this analogy to me, forcing me to repeat it every time I complained about a girl in one of my past classes who was nothing more than a sadist and kept verbally putting me down, even sabotaging my birthday. I will admit that years after this, I still cannot bring myself to forgive her and the teacher, as the teacher had the power to make things right, and she chose not to. I try to have a happy life though, but I just think that constant pressuring to forgive them means that they got away with it. Despite being told that that’s not the case
Wow! Iove the way you relate to the mess2in the devotional. God bless and guide you, Adam.
Give everything to Jesus. It might not be easy to let go, but it is the only path to peace. Dotn focus on what makes you sad. Magnify the issues that give you joy. As joy becomes your attitude daily, you will forget and overcome all past hurts. It will take time, but you will achieve the gaol, in Jesus’s Name.
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