Forgiveness

Have you ever really thought about what it truly means to forgive others like Jesus forgives us??

I Have! and the scripture that says do not judge or you too will be judged, or the one that says the same measure you use will be used against you are very scarry in light of the kind and depth of Jesus' forgiveness.

I fall so short of this goal...

Just think for a moment what exactly do you think Jesus was thinking when he cried out " FATHER FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING"?

I do not think Jesus meant that the men who nailed Him to the cross didn't know that they had actually nailed a man to a cross, nor did He mean that they didn't know who He was.

I believe that Jesus looked past the violence toward Him, He looked straight into the hearts of those men, and straight into the hearts of you and me and saw that our unrepented, prideful, self centered hearts are leading us away from God, away from Him, away from LIFE ETERNAL and That pained Him so much that He cried out for us, on our behalf to the God of Heaven to please forgive us becasue we do not see how our actions separate us from the only one that truly loves us.

In this light, how can we desire to get even or wish for punishment for someone who has wronged us? I pray that the Holy Spirit will help me to look past the violence or meaness that is aimed at me and look into their heart and cry out to God for forgiveness and mercy for them, and ask Jesus for their salvation.