“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6: 37).
Which is easier for you? Not to judge or condemn? How about forgiving those who offend you?
It does seem that to forgive an offense is the toughest for most people. I tumbled into a pure grace of how to forgive and to forgive.
"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5: 44).
When I was in the corporate world, I took a secured loan to build a personal home. I had no experience about building. I found a contractor and gave him 50% of the money. He dug the foundation, laid a few blocks and disappeared with the money. I was devasted. What do I do? Prosecute him? Ask friends at Police Headquarters to deal ruthlessly with him? A tiny voice told me to leave him alone and pray for him. I took the advice and prayed for him daily until the house was finished 6 months later.
On another occasion, three senior managers in the company I worked for many years conspired against me and had me fired. The same voice asked me to pray for them. I prayed for them by name for about 5 years before the pain was completely gone. I have used the same tool of prayer again and again and it works. Once you receive an offense, start immediately to pray for the person. Continue praying for the offender until you feel that you are healed.
"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
No comments:
Post a Comment
23-Psalm1to2