"Love overcomes anger and forgets offenses." - 1st Corinthians 13:5
My fiance says that my mind is like a file cabinet because I can go back and bring up arguments - big and small alike - that we had 3 or 4 years ago. I know I'm not alone in this and that a lot of people keep track of all the good and bad things people have done to us along the way. Even if we don't mean to, our minds take note of these things and it can affect the way we treat others. Because I know I do this, sometimes when I know I've messed up with God, I tend to shy away because I figure He's mad. I figure He's got His mean face on and is ready to punish me. But as I was praying about this the other day, this verse from Corinthians came into my mind. Another translation of the bible says, "love holds no records of wrongs." Saint John wrote that God is love, therefore, God holds no record of wrongs against us. But before anyone gets upset and says that God does keep account of our sins, you're right. He does know each and every offense we commit, but in His great compassion, He forgets them as soon as we sincerely ask for forgiveness. We tend to be a lot harder on ourselves and on others than God is on us. If I were anything like God, I would never bring up my fiance's past mistakes. They would all be erased from my mind once I knew he was sorry.
My fiance says that my mind is like a file cabinet because I can go back and bring up arguments - big and small alike - that we had 3 or 4 years ago. I know I'm not alone in this and that a lot of people keep track of all the good and bad things people have done to us along the way. Even if we don't mean to, our minds take note of these things and it can affect the way we treat others. Because I know I do this, sometimes when I know I've messed up with God, I tend to shy away because I figure He's mad. I figure He's got His mean face on and is ready to punish me. But as I was praying about this the other day, this verse from Corinthians came into my mind. Another translation of the bible says, "love holds no records of wrongs." Saint John wrote that God is love, therefore, God holds no record of wrongs against us. But before anyone gets upset and says that God does keep account of our sins, you're right. He does know each and every offense we commit, but in His great compassion, He forgets them as soon as we sincerely ask for forgiveness. We tend to be a lot harder on ourselves and on others than God is on us. If I were anything like God, I would never bring up my fiance's past mistakes. They would all be erased from my mind once I knew he was sorry.
This verse should help us to move past guilt we feel in our relationship wth God. As a tender parent forgives the mistakes their child makes, so does God forgive us and pick us up when we're hurt. It should also make us analyze how we treat one another. Do we keep a tally shet of the things people have done to us? Do we throw it back in their face whenever we get a chance? I know it's hard to move past certain things, but what God does for us He expects usto do for each other.
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, please take my heart and give me a new one modeled after Yours. You are merciful and forgiving and my heart is sometimes hard and cold. Mold me after Yourself so I can learn to forget my own past sins and those of the people around me. In Your Name we pray, amen.
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