For to
this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an
example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither
was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return;
when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him
who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:21-23 (ESV)
Jesus sets the standard for us as Bible believers. Sinless,
not lying, no getting even, no
threats – Jesus simply trusted that God would judge justly. How much of His
example do I follow? Do I plot revenge against those who have wronged me? Do I
slander my boss when I’ve been corrected for something I did wrong? Do I act
pompously, or do I bully those who get in my way?
“But it’s so harrrrrrrd to keep my mouth shut. I just want
to tell everyone how mean he was to me!” But how much harder was it for Jesus
to stand silently while He was being ridiculed? After all, He was God’s
Son. He chose to trust in God’s plan
instead of using His own power. Should we not do the same – trust that God has
absolute knowledge of what is happening in our life, and trust that He knows
how to make things right – and most important, trust that God knows what is right in every situation!
We are to love and live with unconditional love. We are to
accept others unconditionally (but we are not to love their sin and we have a responsibility to see
that people hear the Gospel). We are to forgive unconditionally. We are to do
this so that we model our Savior’s behavior!
Forgiveness is a
choice, not an emotion. One of my favorite singers is Don Francisco. One of
my favorite songs says Jesus didn’t die
for you because it was fun. He hung there for love because it had to be done.
And in spite of His anguish, God’s Word was fulfilled. Love is not a
feeling, it’s an act of your will!
When I forgive
others, it’s not the same as God forgiving them. Although it is my task to
forgive you when you’ve wronged me, it’s still your responsibility to ask God
for that same forgiveness. It’s important that we continue to pray
for those who have wronged us, because if they have not accepted Christ as
their savior, they will go to hell.
And those who have accepted Jesus’ free gift of salvation need our
prayers as well!
Forgiveness is a serious business. It’s crucial to our spiritual health, and
it’s crucial to our physical and emotional well-being as well. It’s a model of
Christ’s behavior on this earth. It’s a way for a non-believer to see Jesus in
our lives. It’s a way of healing relationships. When I forgive you, it’s
sinner-to-sinner. When I ask Jesus, who died on the cross just because I sinned, to forgive me, I’m asking to become holy in
the sight of the creator of the world.
It’s hard to model Jesus sometimes! Jesus requires it. Let’s
pray for each other – pray that we improve our forgiveness skills every day.
See you next week for week 5 of this series!
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