Derek Smith
Lead Pastor
Colossians 3:12-13
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Chuck Swindoll once told the story of a seminary student in Chicago who faced a forgiveness test. While in school he got a job driving a bus on Chicago’s south side. One day a gang of teens got on board and refused to pay the fare, so the seminarian reported them to the police. The teens later found out and robbed the seminarian and beat him severely. He pressed charges and the gang was rounded up and found guilty of the crime. But as soon as the jail sentence was given, the young pastor saw their spiritual need and felt pity for them. So he, to the utter amazement of everyone involved, asked the judge if he could serve their sentences for them. The gang members and the judge were dumbfounded. “It’s because I forgive you,” he explained. His request was denied, but he visited the young men in jail and eventually led several of them to faith in Christ.
Forgiving others for the harm done to us is quite possibly the hardest commandment to obey, yet we are called to forgive nonetheless. Bitterness is an acid that eats it’s own container, and unforgiveness and resentment will destroy you from the inside out if you let them. The Apostle Paul says here we are to forgive even as Christ has forgiven us. What he is saying is that a forgiving heart is representative of a forgiven heart. Forgiveness is the fruit of a much deeper root, a life deeply rooted in the love of God. Jesus even said if there is anything between us and another brother or sister in Christ that we should leave our sacrifice at the altar and go make things right with that brother or sister, then come back and worship with a clean and clear conscience. Is there anyone in your life that you need to forgive? Is there someone who when you hear their name called anger starts to rise in your heart? Release them today. Trust in God’s sovereign grace and give them over to Him. Bitterness will only destroy your life and the relationships closest to you if you let it. Forgive today and experience the freedom only Christ can bring.