“But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses,” Matthew 6:15.

When God forgives us, He reinstates us to a relationship with Him and reckons us to be as if we had never sinned. How wonderful is the full forgiveness God extends to us! How well are we doing with forgiveness? Jesus said that God would forgive us only if we forgive each other. How absurd that we as the children of God refuse to forgive when God has forgiven us for more. Not forgiving causes bitterness. It is a poison. Its chief damage befalls the person who holds it. The poison does not go to the offender. Becoming bitter is a natural human response when we feel that we have been wronged, but we must give up all bitterness and unforgiving attitudes if we would enter the Kingdom of God. Forgiveness brings liberty. When we forgive a debt that we think someone owes us, we set ourselves free from the bondage of holding a grudge. Forgiveness also brings healing. When we forgive, it brings healing to relationships and to our own hearts as well. None of us are perfect here on earth, and we all make mistakes. But if we can forgive and love one another, we are living the way Jesus taught us.

“God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life,” John 3:16.

Peter asked if it would be enough to forgive seven times, but Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven. He really meant we should not keep track of how many times we forgive. Just forgive. When we truly love and forgive someone, we will feel compassion for him or her and wish only the best. Real forgiveness offers the potential of loving a person more than might have been possible before. May we experience the riches of God’s forgiveness, and freely extend forgiveness to others.