How do we Forgive?
To forgive is to let go of what we think someone owes us as a payback for the wrong they have done to us. We can do so when we recall how much we ourselves have been forgiven through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Once we let go of what we owe, or of what others owe us, we receive more of what the Lord has made available for us.
As Christ forgave us, we forgive others; and above all things, we put on love. The love of God enables us to forgive. It’s the source and the result; the cause and the effect; the seed and the harvest. We are then free to be and do what we are called to do without restriction and with increased vision.
The results of forgiveness are amazing. We realize how much unforgiveness has been holding us back after we have forgiven. It’s a barrier that keeps the fruit of the spirit from flowing freely. It keeps people stuck in the place of wounding. We walk in forgiveness as we walk in the Spirit. Those who walk in forgiveness can walk in the Spirit., and go and grow, from glory to glory!
Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all, these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.