TO ERR IS HUMAN; TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE

I thought I'd change the subject today (from grace and mercy the last two days), but I've been following the Lord long enough to hear His voice and then to obey.

So I must continue my thoughts on this.

In the flow of the words grace and mercy, is the word forgiveness. Jesus said to forgive 70 times 7 and then some. That's 490+ times we're supposed to forgive someone who's wronged us.

There are many reasons why we need to do this. Here are some:

1. We've been forgiven in the past.

2. We'll need to be forgiven in the future.

3. If we don't forgive others, our Heavenly Father can't forgive us, as taught in Matthew 18.

4. Forgiving others brings us peace.

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Do you need to forgive someone?

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We watched Part 2 of the classic story Jane Eyre last night. There's a touching scene where Jane is at her aunt's deathbed. Her aunt treated her inhumanely when Jane was growing up, yet Jane leaned down and kissed her dying aunt and said, "I forgive you." She found the secret to granting forgiveness. Not granting forgiveness is like swallowing poison and thinking the other person will die. But you are the one who does if you do that, and when you harbor unforgiveness, you die in your spirit because bitterness eats away at your soul.

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I chose a a seaside scene, not because I live in Florida, but because I felt it depicted peace.

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Famous quote: "To err is human; to forgive is divine."

To truly forgive takes God's strength. And He will grant it if we ask.