Topic: Unforgiveness & Its Restitution [Wednesday July 22, 2015]
Memorise: Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. – 1 John 3:15
Read: 1 John 2:9-11 (KJV)
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Bible In One Year: 2 Chronicles 30-31; John 2
MESSAGE:
As children of God, we must always be watchful of pitfalls capable of nullifying all our efforts towards making Heaven. For example, God expects you to make restitution when you have told a lie incriminating an innocent person. In the same vain, if you have injured someone, you need to restitute. An example of this can be found in Acts 16:33-34, where the jailor who had contributed to the predicament of Paul and Silas took them to his house, treated their injuries and gave them decent food. Have you injured someone physically, emotionally or psychologically? Restitute your ways. In addition, if someone offends you so hard that you promised never to forgive the fellow, there is a need to forgive and release that individual so that you can make Heaven at last. Anyone who hates his brother has stepped out of God’s light into darkness and is seen as a murderer in the sight of God (1 John 3:15). If you are in hatred, you are out of eternal life. Has anyone offended you to the extent that you resolved not to forgive? You must change that decision now if you do not want it to hinder your trip to Heaven. I once hated a particular man very much, because of the way he maltreated my family and I. But after I gave my life to Christ, I did not only forgive him, I also went to tell him he was forgiven. It was not an easy thing for me to do, but by the grace of God, I did it.
Is there un-forgiveness in your heart over some hurt or offence done to you? If you love yourself, forgive today. Forgiveness must be communicated to the one you have forgiven except it is done without sincerity. Some people say, “I have forgiven my offender but I will not tell him so.” How will the fellow you forgave know that he or she is forgiven? When a person is offended, it is like being owed some kind of debt. It is when forgiveness is released that the debt is paid. Refusing to forgive your offender sustains the debt, and we are commanded not to owe any man anything but love (Romans 13:8). The irony of un-forgiveness is that the one who refuses to forgive hurts himself or herself the most. The offender may be going about with a free mind, but the offended carries a heavy heart. Also, by begrudging the offender, the offended cannot move beyond where he or she is. Unforgiveness ties the offended to the same spot. I hope you are not the one pegging your rise by not releasing your offender?
Action Point: List the names of people you hold a grudge against or who hold a grudge against you, and prayerfully reconcile with them immediately.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
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