Colossians 3:12–13“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Why should we forgive those who have wronged us?Because we ourselves need mercy and forgiveness from our God every day. Many people do not understand the power embedded in forgiveness. The Bible says: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37 This means that if we do not forgive others, we ourselves will not be forgiven. Forgiveness is not just for a few hours or days—it is eternal. When someone wrongs you, you must forgive them completely. This means there should never be a day when you hold a grudge against them again. If you forgive someone today, but after a month you recall their wrongs and start to harbor resentment again, the Bible warns that your own past sins—those you had repented of—will be remembered by God. For example, suppose you once stole something before giving your life to Christ. You may have repented, confessed with tears, and stopped stealing for over ten years. But one day someone steals your phone—perhaps the only phone you owned, which you bought at great cost, and which contained important information. If you then become bitter and harbor resentment in your heart against that thief—even silently without confronting them—then unless you forgive, God will see you as a thief once again. Ezekiel 18:24“But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin… none of the righteous things they have done will be remembered.” Even though you may no longer steal, pray regularly, and live a life of faith, in God’s eyes all your previous thefts will be remembered—as though they happened yesterday. If you die in that condition, God will ask why you stole that phone, or cheated that employer, or swindled that person—even if those things happened many years ago. Now, consider this story carefully: Matthew 18:21–35 Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Then Jesus gave a parable of a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One man owed him ten thousand talents. Since he could not repay, the king ordered him and his family sold to repay the debt. But the servant begged for mercy, and the king forgave the entire debt. But this same servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii. He seized him and threw him in prison. When the king heard this, he called the first servant “wicked,” and reinstated his debt: “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” (v.33) “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (v.35) Dear reader, stop wasting your time fighting enemies. Learn to forgive—that’s how you yourself will be forgiven by God the Father. Who taught you to curse those who wrong you? Don’t you see that such a teaching invites curses upon you too? Whoever hinders you from forgiving—don’t you see they’re leading you to destruction? They’re opening the gate to the fire of hell! Read again verse 35 carefully. And if you, having read this, still refuse to forgive those who offend you, don’t you see that you’re testifying against yourself—and reminding God of your own sins? James 2:13“Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” May the Lord grant us understanding and grace to walk in true forgiveness. Please share this message with others. If you’d like to receive more teachings like this via email or WhatsApp, feel free to message us through the comment box below or call this number: +255 789001312 🔗 Join our WhatsApp channel here >> WHATSAPP