DAY 13 of #100daysofJesus - Forgiveness

 

DAY 13 of #100daysofJesus

In the Sermon on the Mount, one challenging doctrine that Jesus taught was forgiveness. This message would be repeated throughout his ministry. Jesus taught: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Paul reemphasized this message to the Ephesians, "And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Peter once asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive someone. Perhaps it seemed unreasonable to him to continuously forgive someone over and over. It could be seen as weak or permissive. Jesus' response was "until seventy times seven," which essentially means to always forgive.

Jesus revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith that if we do not forgive, the greater sin remains in us. Ouch!

When we refuse to forgive others for their offenses against us, we mock God because He gave His only begotten Son so that we might be forgiven of our offenses. How can we hope to receive forgiveness if we can't bring ourselves to forgive others?

Through Joseph Smith, Jesus commanded, "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." He goes on to say that we should let God be the judge by offering forgiveness.

I once heard that withholding forgiveness from someone is like drinking poison and hoping for the other person to die.

When we are wronged, it is easy to become bitter or angry; that's the natural reaction and a common trial of mortality. We must choose to follow Jesus and rely on His strength. We can pray for divine help in this process. That's why Jesus included "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" in the prayer he shared with his disciples.

We must forgive, and with Jesus' help, we CAN forgive. God will help us, and we will be so much happier for it.