Luke 6:37
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
I once heard a very sad story. It seems that a man was unfaithful to his wife. She took him back but made his life miserable. She constantly brought up his sin and made sure that he suffered for the pain he had inflicted upon her.
As the story goes, this wife became very ill. In fact it was a number of years before she recovered. During this time her husband waited on her hand and foot. The doctor even commented that if it was not for his attentive care of his wife she would have died.
One day after the woman’s health returned, she told her husband that she appreciated how wonderful he had been to her, and she was now ready to forgive him. Here is the sad part of the story. The husband looked his wife in the eye and said, “My dear, I needed your forgiveness when I did not deserve it. I have earned your appreciation, but your forgiveness has come too late. I am leaving you.”
I hope against hope that this was only an illustration. But the truth is that true forgiveness comes when the offender does not deserve to be forgiven. When Christ forgave us, it was not that we deserved it, but that we needed it. Paul reminds us in Romans 5:8: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Is there someone who needs your forgiveness right now?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com