God's Forgiveness

[Marathoner]

As for the rebellious... have so many forgotten that all men are trespassers, guilty of rebellion against God? We were slaves to sin in our rebellion against the Lord, but our Father in heaven chose to have mercy upon us and so He sent His only begotten Son to this world. "God has mercy upon whom He has mercy, and shows compassion to whomever He shows compassion." 

Repentance comes as pleasing fruit of that conviction of the Lord when, having mercy upon us, He reveals the error of our ways to our hearts. No one comes to the Son unless the Father draws him, and no one comes to the Father apart from the Son. The Spirit of Christ makes repentance possible for as the scripture testifies, we were in bondage to unrighteousness and knew not as we ought to.  

Edited March 15, 2021 by Marathoner

[Sower]

41 minutes ago, Riverwalker said:

So Question.

What does forgiveness mean?

We all have a reasonable idea of what it means, but not how to deal with the hurt that lingers.
I'm not sure exactly what the scriptures say, but I've developed my strategy.
I pray for them. Really  pray. It usually starts off to be forced, doing what I'm told.
"pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"
I usually  bring to mind the second scripture verse I purposely memorized.
Proverbs 11, 12

"He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour:
but a man of understanding holdeth his peace"

While driving one time, I pondered that verse, thinking of a possible scenario where a driver caused me to drive
off the road to miss hitting him which may cause my immediate anger and probably some foul language.
What caused him to drive so dangerously, was he drunk? Why drive so fast and crazy.
Then the thoughts  (spirit?) came to me. Why was he drunk. Was he raised in an alcoholic family?
Did he just lose his job. Maybe he wasn't drunk but in an emergency trying to get to the hospital,
where his wife was delivering their first child, or maybe he just got a call his daughter was in a wreck,
and was being taken to the hospital emergency room.
Maybe (actually) someone caused me great embarrassment publicly which was his fault/anger/frustration,
but to keep the peace I was moved to not defend my self, remaining silent, and it hurt greatly.
It was a peace, the peace of God, that kept me strong in my effort.
Still comes to mind occasionally , but that's OK, I remain a friend, and with knowing, God knows.
It is hard/impossible to hate someone you are praying for God's best blessings for them.

You've heard it before, however,
"Be kind for everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about"....

 

[Daily verse and quote]

4 minutes ago, Sower said:

We all have a reasonable idea of what it means, but not how to deal with the hurt that lingers.
I'm not sure exactly what the scriptures say, but I've developed my strategy.
I pray for them. Really  pray. It usually starts off to be forced, doing what I'm told.
"pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"
I usually  bring to mind the second scripture verse I purposely memorized.
Proverbs 11, 12

"He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour:
but a man of understanding holdeth his peace"

While driving one time, I pondered that verse, thinking of a possible scenario where a driver caused me to drive
off the road to miss hitting him which may cause my immediate anger and probably some foul language.
What caused him to drive so dangerously, was he drunk? Why drive so fast and crazy.
Then the thoughts  (spirit?) came to me. Why was he drunk. Was he raised in an alcoholic family?
Did he just lose his job. Maybe he wasn't drunk but in an emergency trying to get to the hospital,
where his wife was delivering their first child, or maybe he just got a call his daughter was in a wreck,
and was being taken to the hospital emergency room.
Maybe (actually) someone caused me great embarrassment publicly which was his fault/anger/frustration,
but to keep the peace I was moved to not defend my self, remaining silent, and it hurt greatly.
It was a peace, the peace of God, that kept me strong in my effort.
Still comes to mind occasionally , but that's OK, I remain a friend, and with knowing, God knows.
It is hard/impossible to hate someone you are praying for God's best blessings for them.

You've heard it before, however,
"Be kind for everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about"....
Thank you for your comprehensive analysis of the issue by presenting a possible scenario which occurred following a near collision which you were able to avoid. Trying to guess the reason why the oncoming driver acted the way he did is just speculation. But what you know for a fact is that God was actively protecting you in this potentially fatal close encounter.
 

 

[Hopefully]

To me forgiveness means not harboring hate and not trying to take revenge, but I don’t believe I have to give that person the same position they had in my life before the offense was committed.

For example if you steal money from me I will forgive you and just let it go but I won’t leave my wallet laying around you again.

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:16‬ ‭

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Hopefully

[Daily verse and quote]

9 minutes ago, Hopefully said:

To me forgiveness means not harboring hate and not trying to take revenge, but I don’t believe I have to give that person the same position they had in my life before the offense was committed.

For example if you steal money from me I will forgive you and just let it go but I won’t leave my wallet laying around you again.

 

I certainly agree with your logic. And I would go further to say I would be guarded about my entire relationship with that person. Over time, if they "prove" themselves to be honest and reliable, then letting down your guard somewhat would be appropriate. But let us not forget the power of prayer. Our heavenly Father can change the hearts, minds, and actions of anyone at any time. And, who know, but what YOUR prayer in that person's behalf may be the key.

[Marathoner]

1 hour ago, Sower said:

We all have a reasonable idea of what it means, but not how to deal with the hurt that lingers.
I'm not sure exactly what the scriptures say, but I've developed my strategy.
I pray for them. Really  pray. It usually starts off to be forced, doing what I'm told.
"pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"
I usually  bring to mind the second scripture verse I purposely memorized.
Proverbs 11, 12

"He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour:
but a man of understanding holdeth his peace"

While driving one time, I pondered that verse, thinking of a possible scenario where a driver caused me to drive
off the road to miss hitting him which may cause my immediate anger and probably some foul language.
What caused him to drive so dangerously, was he drunk? Why drive so fast and crazy.
Then the thoughts  (spirit?) came to me. Why was he drunk. Was he raised in an alcoholic family?
Did he just lose his job. Maybe he wasn't drunk but in an emergency trying to get to the hospital,
where his wife was delivering their first child, or maybe he just got a call his daughter was in a wreck,
and was being taken to the hospital emergency room.
Maybe (actually) someone caused me great embarrassment publicly which was his fault/anger/frustration,
but to keep the peace I was moved to not defend my self, remaining silent, and it hurt greatly.
It was a peace, the peace of God, that kept me strong in my effort.
Still comes to mind occasionally , but that's OK, I remain a friend, and with knowing, God knows.
It is hard/impossible to hate someone you are praying for God's best blessings for them.

You've heard it before, however,
"Be kind for everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about"....

 

Well said, brother. Of course it can be excruciating for us but this is where we abandon our own understanding, leaning into the Lord and trusting in Him alone. 

I'll never share the details of what befell my friend Becky at the hands of a depraved man, but I will relate how it made the blood boil in my veins. I was never one given to violence but yet I found myself howling for his blood. What he had done enraged me to no end. I would erase his stain from the earth!

I'm accomplished at remaining unseen and so I was able to surveil the man in the wilderness without his knowledge... he was oblivious to my presence. The moment of truth arrived when I realized that his life was in my hands; the man would never see me coming. I would avenge Becky and give rest to her soul --- or so I thought ---  but even when I believed I was lost and hated by the Lord who chose me, His Spirit was still with me. 

I couldn't do it, brother. I agonized for days on end because I knew that in spite of this flesh and how right vengeance seemed to my sensibilities, I would not end his life by my own hand. I wouldn't lift even a finger against him. The turmoil tore me apart but I knew this was right, something which the Lord affirmed years later when He came to me at the end of the trial. 

My heart goes out to you, @Riverwalker. I never lost someone in such a way and I should have mentioned this at the outset when I responded to you in this topic, brother. Denying this flesh is never easy and can be the greatest of trials.   

Edited March 15, 2021 by Marathoner