Ps32:1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. (NIV)
"Two good men on some occasion had a hotly contested dispute; and remembering the exhortation of Paul in Eph. 4:26: " ... Let not the sun go down upon your wrath," just before sunset, one of them went to the other, and knocking at the door, his offended friend came and opened
it, and seeing who it was, became stricken in astonishment and surprise; the other, at the same time, cried out, "The sun is almost down." This unexpected salutation softened the heart of his friend into affection, and he responded, "Come in, brother, come in." What a happy method of conciliating matters, of redressing grievances, and of reconciling brethren!"-Unknown
Greetings on this the final watch of our Family and Friends services. We sincerely hope that these services have blessed you as much as they have us. We hope that something has been shared with you this month that will give you the encouragement that you need to seek God to build better relationships with one another.
The message of the importance of forgiveness is still ringing in my heart to the point that I am finding myself unable to let it go. Therefore, I will leave with you this parting though concerning the freedom that is available to us as we forgive others their trespasses against us. The bible text above exhorts us to know that it is a blessing from God above when we have the assurance that we are forgiven. I believe within the context is also the idea that acts of forgiveness releases us to enjoy life without the bondage of guilt and fear of past errors looming over us.
The real secret of forgiveness from the direction of the forgiver is that it releases them to live their life unhindered by resentment, remorse, and bitterness. When you forgive you are actually creating an opportunity to receive the flow of God's love in areas where the wound of an offense once existed. When you and I practice forgiveness, we make it possible for God to bless us without measure. In order to take the limits off of your ability to grow learn to forgive!
