Mercy’s way

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

-Ephesians 4:32

Forgiveness is not just a principle in the Kingdom of God, a benefit of being a Christian, or simply a moral lesson that Jesus taught. Forgiveness from the Son of God is the foundation of our salvation, the reason we are alive, and the avenue to our continued walk with God. The minute we take forgiveness out of the story, we take away the very intervention of Jesus Christ on behalf of our souls. Being the essence of true Love and the righteousness of God Himself, Jesus came into this world carrying not only the authority to forgive, but the desire to forgive as well (Matthew 9:6, Luke 23:34). He chose forgiveness. After we have received the fullness of His forgiveness, by His Spirit, we are empowered to fully forgive others with what we have received.

Part of living in freedom is making the choice to free others.

As we walk with God and ask Him to change us, we need to be ready to take on His mind, His heart, and His ways. When there is a barrier between us and someone else (whether it be someone we know well, someone we know a little, or someone we only know of), there is only one option for those that desire to say “yes” to God. Forgiveness.

There are times when I have held onto unforgiveness and I could feel the thick wall in my heart toward that person. I knew it was there… it was hard, cold, short fused, and avoidant. I had no motivation to connect with this person, it was just a wish I gave up on. I knew it was wrong and I wanted that to change so I prayed every day for them… prayed for their family, life situations, burdens, and everything but the condition of my heart toward them. I was so frustrated that my spirit was getting no where closer to loving that person. Every time I saw them, it almost got worse. That is when I finally bowed before the Lord and asked the Holy Spirit to inspect MY heart, not just bless their life apart from mine. The Lord showed me that I was on a path—looking behind every bush, tree, and bench for a map to help me turn around. I wanted to grow closer to God and closer to this person, but I did not want to walk over the bridge of forgiveness. The Holy Spirit said, “there is only one way to be free—give away what you have been given.”

Right there on my living room floor, I walked hand in hand with my Father over that bridge. Through that “door”. I repented for holding onto something that I never had the authority to hold onto. I forgave that person from a place of God’s Love that I could only have received from being with Him. Was it scary? Uncomfortable? Difficult? Absolutely. But so was Jesus’ death on the cross. So were the thorns in His head, the spear in His side, and the insults to His ears. Forgiveness was never comfortable. Forgiveness is the way of Love. There are no exceptions. When we were set free by the mercy of Jesus Christ, our hearts were reborn as a home for His Spirit. In all things, we choose to be led by ourselves or be led by Him. When we are led by our flesh and own strength, we quickly realize we cannot always forgive. However, when we submit to His Spirit and operate from a place of being a child of God (Romans 8:14), we are able to give from what we have been given. May we not only remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but allow His forgiveness to transform who we are into men and women of tender mercies. We were prisoners that were set free, yet sometimes we still hold others captive within our hearts. It is time to untie the ropes and let them go free by the Blood of the Lamb.

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

-Hebrews 12:15

confetti of heaven

one thing