Dear Friend,

Have you ever heard the saying, “On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate something with ten being the best?”

Lately, I’ve been saying, “On a scale of one to death, how important is it to hang on to an offense?” Why? Because unforgiveness really hinders the Lord from moving on your behalf.

Mark 11:25 gives specific instructions on forgiveness and how the Father feels about it: And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

I do know that it can be an emotional struggle to forgive some things, but Jesus didn’t say it would be easy. He said to do it. The devil won’t help either and will attack your emotions, even to the point where you may wonder if you’re saved. I’ve been there. But I’ve also met people who aren’t happy unless they’re involved in some sort of chaos and contention. I like the definition of contention—“disagreement, dispute, disputation, argument, discord, conflict, friction, strife, dissension, disharmony.”

Disharmony really hits it on the head. Unforgiveness will cause you to be in disharmony with God, family, and friends.

I have never understood why some people aren’t happy unless they’re miserable. The Lord wants us to live in His joy and His peace. Not only can He heal our emotions, but He can heal our physical bodies as well. We serve an awesome God, and He has given us the ability to walk like Jesus.

In Mark 11:26, Jesus says: But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Have you ever thought about where we would be if the Father didn’t forgive us? I really don’t think we would be in His Presence. However, the Lord is merciful, just, and quick to forgive, and we have His nature living in us, which gives us the ability to do all things through Jesus. Taking this into consideration, let’s look at Jude 20-22:

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

And of some have compassion, making a difference:

I like what verse 22 says—And of some have compassion, making a difference. People need to see the love of God in action. Most people already see enough heartache, strife, and whatever else the world has to offer. But seeing us walk in the love,

peace, and joy that only belonging to our Lord Jesus can give is what will draw people to Him.

I’m not talking about endorsing sin by any means. God is faithful and He wants us to be free. I’m talking about Ephesians 4:32, which says: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

We can’t take the Scriptures lightly. All of it was said and written for our benefit. My prayer today is that we ask our Lord to help us let go of hurts and offenses so that we can pursue what our Father has for us.

God bless you.

In His love,

Donner Roberson