“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Luke 6:37

I think one of the most difficult experiences for a human being is passing on forgiveness to others. I have been able to understand that forgiveness is an act of faith, since our feelings so often refuse to give it. It is not logical to forgive someone who has betrayed us, abused our trust, stolen from us, hurt us, insulted us, insultedslandered us, etc. I believe no human being actually deserves forgiveness, but the great teaching the Lord shares with us is that He forgives us anyway, not because we deserve it, but because He is a merciful God that extends His love without limits. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

No one in this world is able to have two hearts at the same time because no one can have a heart for God and another heart for sin. He who is on God’s side despises sin. God’s promise is a new heart and a new spirit. When this happens, God removes our hardened heart and also the rebellious spirit in us. The new spirit we receive is nothing less than the Spirit of God Himself. With this new heart we are able to follow the steps of Jesus and will have the grace to forgive those who have offended us. Perhaps, this is the hardest thing for many Christians.

When Nicky Cruz, a former gang leader, told David Wilkerson, “If you tell me again that Jesus loves me, I will cut you into a thousand pieces.”

David responded, “Yes, Nicky, but each one of those pieces will tell you, ‘Nicky, Jesus Christ loves you.’” St. Paul, who came to understand this, affirms that the Spirit of God dwells in us. The Spirit of God is the only one who can help us to understand the Scriptures, give us the strength to obey them, and ‘prepare the ground’ so that His promises can be fulfilled.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT“My mother sat down next to me once and spoke to me about how I had come into the world.” These were the words of Jorge, a young man about twenty years old who looked like he spent a lot of time in the gym. “She told me, ‘Son, I became pregnant when I was your dad’s girlfriend. When I found out, he told me to pick the date for our wedding and that is how we did it. We bought everything we thought was necessary. Those were exciting days as we busily bought furniture and the essentials for our home; we also picked out my wedding dress. Everything was perfect. There was much anticipation as the day of the wedding approached, but on the wedding day, your dad did not show up. At the same time that we were planning to get married, he was getting married to another woman in another part of town. After this, everything in my life changed. I felt humiliated and ashamed; my hopes vanished in an instant.’” The young man, Jorge, took a new breath and said, “I came to blame my dad for all the difficulties we had lived through, and I thought that he had to pay for all he had done to us. I thought that when I got older, I would kill him.

“I began to do physical training so I would be able to do it. I would go to the gym and train in boxing; in those workout sessions I would imagine my dad’s face, each day feeding that hatred towards him. I found all the information I needed about his daily routines and then started to follow him. During that time, someone talked to me about Jesus, and I became a Christian. I started to go to church, but I could not remove that hatred from my heart until I understood that I should seek him and ask him for forgiveness. I went to his office, introduced myself, and explained the reason for my visit. After exchanging some words, I said, ‘Father, I’ve come to ask you for forgiveness.’

“Surprised, he said, ‘I don’t understand why you are asking me to forgive you.’

“‘Father, because I have hated you for what you did to my mother; because in all that we have suffered, I always thought it was your fault, and the darkest thoughts crossed my mind. However, I have come to know someone that has shown me love – Jesus! He is now my Savior and he has given me the grace and strength to come and ask you for forgiveness.’

“The tears started to roll down his cheeks, he lowered his head, and filled with shame said, ‘Son, I am the one who needs to ask you for forgiveness. Forgive me.’ We hugged each other.” That is when the stronghold of resentment was broken, burying hatred and bitterness, and leaving the past behind.

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I have the greatest power that exists in the universe inside of me. It is the power to love and to forgive.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

• Old Testament: Nehemiah 9; Proverbs 12:15-28
• New Testament: Luke 18:1-8; 2 Timothy 3:1-9