Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
It's easy to read those words but they can be hard to do! When someone deeply hurts or offends us or someone we love, it's not easy to go beyond our feelings to forgive them and then be kind to them!
When we choose to not forgive someone it doesn't do them any harm but it does eat away at us and harm us and God doesn't want us any more hurt than we already are. So the good news is that although in the natural we can't do it, because the Spirit of Jesus is in us, we can call on Him and ask Him to do it through us. (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.)
Maybe it would help to remember how much God has forgiven us so we can extend that same forgiveness to others, to remember we're sowing a seed of forgiveness and kindness so we will reap a harvest of forgiveness and kindness ourselves when we need it in the future. I know it's helped me.
Being kind and forgiving when we don't want to be, is actually an act of our will, and sometimes we can only do it by faith, knowing that as we do it we're coming up higher and doing what God wants us to. I think as we turn to the Lord for help we can believe Him to take the sting out of our feelings and ask Him to heal them so we can let His love which is in us flow out to others.
So can I encourage us all today to not just be kind and tenderhearted but to let go of any bitterness and anger we've allowed to build up. Let's take them to Jesus at the cross and see Him taking it all into Himself and giving us His freedom from it at the same time. As we said yesterday, let Him 'save' us from those things that trouble us so.😊 Amen.
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