Forgive.
Matthew:18:22 Then came Peter to him, and said, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”
Ponder this:
Jesus saith unto him, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’ And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?’
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
Forget.
*Note: It has been brought to my attention that “Forget” my not be the best word to describe the point I’m trying to get across. (Thank you, Denny! 😊) We can’t learn from something we have forgotten; but the ill feelings associated with unforgiveness can remain and rule our hearts if we allow it. The ill feelings is what you want to forget about having after forgiving! The way Denny put it, to keep up with words that begin with F: Filter the good from the bad so we can Flourish in the Future.
Philippians 3:13&14: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
This may be a bit of a stretch, but remember in Genesis when God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah how he spared Lot and his family? Do you remember what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back to what all she was leaving behind? She looked back at all the evil and sin that God was about to destroy, and she turned into a pillar of salt!
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t learn the lesson; that is, forget it and then do it again. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so we can sin whenever we please because He will forgive us.
Forward!
Philippians 3:13&14: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
When God sent the ten plagues on Egypt to release the Israelites in the book of Exodus, the people considered turning back because it would be better to be slaves than to be dead. I know it’s easier for me since I know the story and how it ends, but really. Who sent the plagues? Did they think He would not see them through? The third option: go forward!
And likewise is it better to be a slave to sin? I’m not a huge fan of being dead either. God, please give me the strength to leave the past in the past and look ahead to the prize!
I’ve heard that when we look back at sins that God has already forgiven and continue to beat ourselves up for it, it’s like saying that Jesus’ dying in our place wasn’t good enough. That really hit me hard. It’s hard to let go, but Jesus was enough. More than enough. He was the final sacrifice.
So remember the three for’s: forgive, forget, and move forward!
Very nice post. Yes, I’ll remember the three fors, forgive, forget and forward. Thank you!
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Thank you! 😊 That’s great! ♥
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You’re welcome!
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🙂 ♥
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Nice! I have to remember that 3 Fs from now on 🙂
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Thank you! 😊 Awesome. ♥
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I press forward!!
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😀 ♥
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Thank you for sharing your walk of faith and these powerful affirmations and scripture!
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He has been teaching me a lot lately. 😊Thank you. ♥
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Thank you for this blessing. Aren’t these the reasons Christ came, lived and died, and for which we die to this life, and live for Him? Have a blessed week-end. Fran
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Yes! Amen, it sure is. 🙂 You have a blessed weekend too. ❤
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Thank you so much for this contribution to Forgiving Fridays!! I am touched by your caring, and your clear loving of God and Jesus. I get the compassion and surrender in your post. You are a blessing with your clear commitment to forgive and to love. Sending you many blessings! ~Debbie ps – I’ll share this in my next write up on Forgiving Fridays!!! Thanks again. ❤
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I was happy to! 🙂
Wow, I don’t even know what to say. :’) Praise Jesus! Thank you for your kind comments. 😊 ♥
Blessings to you as well!
Oh, thank you so much! 🙂
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Thank you for this.
It’s often easy to say “I forgive you” but sometimes difficult to forget and move forward.
I’ll definitely remember the three Fs from now on
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😊 ♥
Oh, it definitely is. It takes a while sometimes to forget and move forward. 🙂
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Forgive, Forget, Forward,, Forgive and forward I can Sink my teeth into and chew. However, high have always struggled with the forget word. Personally I think we should create a new word or replace forget. By the way thanks for make me work on this complaint I have never really worked on it before.
Maybe I like the word filter, that way I get to keep the good parts from God so I have an experience to grow and live in in future problems. Or maybe the word flourish, again the same thought of keeping the good so I have good spiritual soil to grow in.
We are to weigh a cost as believers. If I continually forget what I have forgiven how do I have any experience to discern with. Your definition of forget includes learning! This seems to be counter to the meaning of the word forget. That is why the struggle so much with the word forget in this connotation.
I may be way off base! But it is something I have always struggled with. Thank you for making me think through it a little bit more deeply. I think maybe I am more peaceful with it than what I was. Thanks for the good stir my friend be strong and courageous!
Denny
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I hadn’t thought about it that way before, but you’re right. Forget really should be replaced. (I used it because of the old saying, “Forgive and Forget.”) I really like your substitute, Filter so we can Flourish in the Future. 🙂 (Lots more F’s this way too! 😀 )
No, I don’t think you’re way off base. I think what I was aiming for was that if we don’t forgive, we continually remember the way that we were wronged, and it can allow hate to rule our hearts, so we should choose not to let that rule us. However, I like how you worded it better. 🙂 Like you said, if we forget about it, we can’t learn from it!
I’ve struggled with it too. It’s easy to say, but hard to do!
Thanks so much for your comment – you have me thinking as well! 🙂 ♥
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Yes, a root of bitterness is a sandy foundation for spiritual and people relationships. For a believer Forgiveness is not a option, it is a foundation. Thank you for the clarification and agreement on forget. I thought we were in agreement in spirit but not words. I felt really picky on the word usage thing, But Forget sent a semi false message to believers and non believers. I thank you for your encouragement. Keep the thoughts of our Lord coming. I thank you for the platform of fellowship and the kind response.
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Amen!
Yes, you’re right. 🙂 And the house built on the sandy foundation crumbles. “…and every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:26&27
Thank you for suggesting better words to get my point across! I definitely don’t want to send a false message.
Thank you again for pointing this out; I added a note to my original post clarifying what I meant. 🙂
😊 ♥
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Ahhh WEEEELLLL,,,, stammer,,, I really stole the thought from our Grace filled God. God is a redeemer of sin and all things work together for good because He is able to redeem the “BAD” events in life. It sounds like the Holy Spirit had prepared you for the comment I left and it hit home. To God be the glory! Thank you for your kindness and encouragement. Keep up the good work my sister in Christ.
An idea thief,
Denny
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Don’t you know it’s wrong to steal? LOL, I’m just kidding. 😊
🙂 Amen!
Yes, to God be the glory! ♥
And thank you for your kindness and encouragement. 😊
Thank you – you keep up the good work too. 🙂
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LOL!!! You have never dealt with my level of imperfection before…. Confession is good for the soul though!!!! You are too funny, thanks!
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😂
Yes, confession is good for the soul!
Thanks – I hoped you would get my sense of humor. XD
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Yes, I like humor! But no joke this time, If you could edit my spelling errors I just found I would say thank you, please!!
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😀
Of course! Done. 🙂 (I only saw one; was there more than one? If so, I’ll be glad to fix it too.)
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Beautifully written. Ain’t God incredible.
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Thank you! 🙂 ♥ Yes, He is incredible! ❤
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