I Forgive Them

Daily Devotional – Saturday, November 18, 2023
Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:60 (NKJV)

During a Bible study session, I was asked to comment on Stephen’s words: “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60). I wondered why people refused to forgive others. An elderly man who was attending our youthful class remarked, “It is not that easy to forgive. If you were in Stephen’s situation, you probably could not have forgiven your tormentors.”

Lord, Do Not Charge Them With this Sin

That man deflated my ego! He undermined my ‘enviable’ knowledge of Bible verses! How could he say that, yet he was a long-term Christian? Did he understand that he would not enter heaven if he refused to forgive others? Later in life, I realized that my apparent naivety on this issue was because I had not yet made serious enemies!

Now that I have both earned and unearned enemies, and overt and covert ones, I know it is not easy to say, “I forgive them.” For example, how do I forgive a person who, without provocation, decides to spread malicious information in order to deny me an opportunity I deserve? Is it easy to forgive a person who causes bodily harm or kills someone close to you?

I Forgive Them

Our natural tendency is to harbor hard feelings and to hit back when the opportunity arises. It is not human to turn the other cheek. Tit-for-tat is a fair game, we say. The world considers us fools when we decide not to retaliate. We are under pressure from within and outside to inflict equal pain on our oppressors.

That is why only God can help you say, “I forgive them.” Jesus Christ uttered similar words on the cross; Stephen learned them from Jesus; and Paul imitated Stephen when he wrote, “May it not be charged against them.” (2 Timothy 4:16) You need to learn to forgive. When you appreciate how forgiving God has been with you, you will gradually develop the divine tendency to forgive others. It is not easy, but it is possible.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, create in me a forgiving heart.