Sunday, December 14, 2014

Breaking the Cycle of Hate with Forgiveness

     In Matthew 5:22 Jesus said, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to hell of fire." As we see in this verse that inward anger will manifest outwardly causing more damage to a relationship. First you are angry at someone and then it increases to a point where you hurt them mentally or physically and if your anger is left unchecked it will consume you. Your hatred will become a large part of your life and become a barrier between you and God. By not holding grudges and forgiving those who have hurt you in someway you can start to heal. You can begin to love again and have a close relationship with others and with God. Hatred blocks out our love and forgiveness becomes a doorway for love to come back into our hearts.      
     Matthew 18:21,22 "21Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." In the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:12 Jesus tells us to pray like this, "and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." If we do not forgive our brothers or sisters who trespass against us, our anger and hatred will not be broken. And if we hate them and they hate us how will our situation change if we do nothing? Jesus tells us to take the first step and to forgive in order to heal your soul. In so doing you will show others how to live a better life. The cycle of hate can be broken if only we can start to forgive each other.                                                                   (ESV)    

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