"Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?'" (Matthew 18:32-33, NLT).
Read Here
How ironic that we often fail to extend the same mercy to others that God has extended to us. God may have already forgiven us of every sin in the book - from pride to prejudice to petty jealousy. But if someone takes the last chocolate chip cookie, we're ready to prosecute the offender to the fullest extent of the law.
And we may even want God to hold it against them for a little while, just so they'll know what they did was wrong.
This attitude will not only put a strain on relationships, but it will create an environment in which revival is impossible. Your personal revival cannot occur without Christian love. Just as God's forgiveness comes from His love for us, the failure to forgive others stems from our failure to love them. And Jesus Christ will not continue with people in a revival if they are no longer exercising brotherly love.
If you've sinned against God, you can expect His immediate and complete forgiveness. But you must be willing to do the same for those who have offended you -- whether they ask for it or not.
Has someone hurt you so deeply that you are harboring unforgiveness? Make the decision right now to forgive. Revival cannot be present where forgiveness is absent. It begins with God's forgiveness of you, but it must include your forgiveness of others.
Action Point
Read Matthew 18 in its entirety. Is there someone you are holding a grudge against? Is there a broken relationship that needs mending? Don't wait another day! If someone has hurt you, forgive them now. And if you need to ask someone's forgiveness, do it now. Without forgiveness, there can be no revival.
Prayer
Lord, grant me the grace to forgive my debtors -- yes, even my enemies -- the same way You have forgiven me. Show me where I am harboring unforgiveness or where I have wronged someone, and give me the strength to make amends.
Read Here
How ironic that we often fail to extend the same mercy to others that God has extended to us. God may have already forgiven us of every sin in the book - from pride to prejudice to petty jealousy. But if someone takes the last chocolate chip cookie, we're ready to prosecute the offender to the fullest extent of the law.
And we may even want God to hold it against them for a little while, just so they'll know what they did was wrong.
This attitude will not only put a strain on relationships, but it will create an environment in which revival is impossible. Your personal revival cannot occur without Christian love. Just as God's forgiveness comes from His love for us, the failure to forgive others stems from our failure to love them. And Jesus Christ will not continue with people in a revival if they are no longer exercising brotherly love.
If you've sinned against God, you can expect His immediate and complete forgiveness. But you must be willing to do the same for those who have offended you -- whether they ask for it or not.
Has someone hurt you so deeply that you are harboring unforgiveness? Make the decision right now to forgive. Revival cannot be present where forgiveness is absent. It begins with God's forgiveness of you, but it must include your forgiveness of others.
Action Point
Read Matthew 18 in its entirety. Is there someone you are holding a grudge against? Is there a broken relationship that needs mending? Don't wait another day! If someone has hurt you, forgive them now. And if you need to ask someone's forgiveness, do it now. Without forgiveness, there can be no revival.
Prayer
Lord, grant me the grace to forgive my debtors -- yes, even my enemies -- the same way You have forgiven me. Show me where I am harboring unforgiveness or where I have wronged someone, and give me the strength to make amends.