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
If only Judas had known how severe the outcome would be for the Lord, he would not have dared to betray Him. He simply assumed they would arrest Jesus, rebuke Him for teaching the crowds, intimidate Him a little, and then let Him go. But what happened turned out to be much greater than he expected—they went on to beat Him, mock Him, and ultimately kill the Lord by a shameful and painful death. Because of the greed for money, he did not realize that he had already been used to fulfill Satan’s purpose. Without eyes to see far ahead, he found himself as a special instrument of the devil. The small fire he lit, thinking it would only burn paper, ended up burning down an entire forest. That’s why, in the end, he regretted what he had done, when he saw that it was only his small kiss that had led the Lord to the cross. When he saw that just thirty pieces of silver had brought about such disgrace and suffering… when he thought the Lord would be taken and then released safely, but in the end, He was stripped and crowned with thorns… It became clear that this was all beyond what they had agreed. Mark 14:44–46“Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested Him.” Verse 44 says, “lead Him away under guard…” But where they took Him, they went to torture, humiliate, and kill Him—completely contrary to what Judas had expected. And it was all because of entering into a covenant with sin. In the end, Judas said these words: Matthew 27:3–5“When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility.’ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.” There are a few things we can learn from this… You can sell your salvation for something small, but in the end, you may not realize it could bring about great destruction later. You have already believed in Jesus, but then you give in to the temptation of fornication—so you go and lust after a woman and think to yourself, “I will just repent afterward.” But the day you meet her, someone else sees you and follows you all the way to the house you’re going to, and there you are caught in the act… and pictures are taken and spread on social media… “A certain pastor or believer caught with another man’s wife…” How would you feel that day? You thought it was just a small fire you had lit, but you didn’t know it would turn into a blaze that would shock the entire city. And it’s the same with every other sin—we may see it as having small consequences here and now… but after committing it, that’s when we realize how big it really is. Therefore, we must be extra careful with everything. Judas’ example is enough of a lesson for us… Let us be watchful so we don’t also find ourselves deceived by Satan and end up crucifying Christ a second time with shame and suffering. And at the end of the day, we fail even to return to where we left Him. Hebrews 6:4–6“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit… if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.” Please share this Good News with others, and if you’d like us to be sending you these teachings via email or WhatsApp, send a message in the comment box below or call this number: +255 789001312 👉 Join our WhatsApp channel by clicking here >> WHATSAPP
Genesis 47:9 – “So Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.’” There is no sin without a cost. You may wonder why Jacob told Pharaoh that the days of his life on earth had been full of hardship, unlike those of his forefathers. It was because of the deceit he committed when he lied to his father and took the blessing meant for his brother. Although God’s sovereign plan was at work—pointing to the coming Messiah through Jacob—what Jacob did was still wrong. And that did not exempt him from facing the consequences of his sin. That’s why, after committing the act, Jacob fled to his uncle. The very mother who had conspired with him in sin became the person he would not see again for the next 20 years. This shows that love based on sinful agreements does not last. When Jacob reached his uncle Laban’s house and served for seven years to marry Rachel, he was deceived in the same way he had deceived Esau. Laban gave him Leah instead of Rachel. Then Laban told him he would need to work another seven years to have Rachel. Jacob continued serving for many more years. When he finally returned to Canaan, his children Simeon and Levi tricked and killed innocent people (Genesis 34). As if that wasn’t enough, his firstborn Reuben betrayed him by sleeping with his concubine. Worse still, his sons deceived him by making him believe that his beloved son Joseph had been devoured by a wild animal. Jacob wept bitterly and mourned deeply. So, Jacob’s life became a cycle of deception and being deceived—quite different from Abraham and Isaac’s experiences. As Scripture says: Matthew 7:2 – “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” That’s why Jacob confessed that his days had been full of trouble. But in the end, God comforted him through his son Joseph. Now, that was Jacob—a man blessed by God—yet not exempt from long earthly consequences. Let us ask ourselves: if we continue to live sinful lives filled with injustice, how can we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? Proverbs 11:31 – “If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!” These physical punishments point to deeper spiritual ones. Some people believe death is the end and that there are no consequences after this life. But punishment awaits all who reject God. However, God’s grace is available to shield us from these eternal consequences. This grace comes through Jesus Christ. If we surrender our lives to Him, He will forgive us, transform us, and make us new. He will erase the debt of sin and the punishments we deserved for abortion, murder, bribery, lies, theft, adultery, fraud, etc. That is the beauty of the new covenant sealed in the blood of Jesus. So, run to the cross today if you haven’t yet been saved. Repent of your sins, be baptized, have your sins forgiven, and receive the Holy Spirit—who will remain with you until the day of the Rapture. Acts 2:38 – “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” May the Lord bless you richly. Please share this message with others. If you would like to receive these teachings via email or WhatsApp, send us a message in the comment box below or call this number: +255 789001312 👉 Join our channel by clicking here >> WHATSAPP