Responding with Gratitude - Pt. 12

 

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:30-32 ESV).

 

I have found that retribution never ends well. The Scripture teaches this truth clearly, though often we tend to ignore it in favor of “getting even.” We have even developed a few common proverbs to describe this principle: “I don’t get even; I get ahead”; or “to the victor belongs the spoils.” There are many others, however, the teaching of the bible is clear. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God forgave you” (v. 32).

 

The life of Nelson Mandela provides a great illustration. He courageously fought against apartheid in South Africa. His actions led to wrongful convictions and time in prison because of political enemies. As he was leaving prison, he was quoted as saying, “As I stand at the door of my freedom, I realize that if I don't leave my pain, anger, and bitterness behind, I will always be in prison.”

 

Self-imprisonment is worse than the imprisonment that is imposed on us. Many people suffer from self-imposed prisons by refusing to forgive. But the inner walls of anger and resentment do not make us strong; instead, they make us bitter and miserable. When Nelson Mandela later came to power as the president of his country, he did not establish the law of the victor. Rather than seeking revenge against his political enemies, he showed forgiveness to all.

 

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, and he even died for his enemies—that is, all of us. Christ's compassion for us is incomprehensible; he showed it by forgiving us all and dying for us. This love also moves us to forgive others for their faults against us. The Lord can help us to forgive everything.

 

Perhaps you have fallen into the temptation that it is acceptable to hate others for their differences. We are closing in on the season of Thanksgiving. Use this time to reevaluate your attitude toward others. Get rid of all bitterness and practice forgiveness.