I was struck by Jesus' very strong commands to forgive very early in my Christian life: "If you do not forgive, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you" (Matthew 6:15, 18:35 etc.). And I took them all very seriously. I spend much time contemplating what forgiveness really is. Despite my hard effort it took years and the ministry of John Regier before I understood how devastating unforgiveness really is: it is bitterness, it is pain that we carry around, it is debt that we will not discharge.
Hebrews 12:15 says "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled". There are a number of things we can see in this verse; first of all bitterness (unforgiven pain, resentment) means to come short of the grace of God. It means failing to get a hold of something great that God has for us, something that makes us free, that makes us cast off the bonds and soar with Him.
Secondly, bitterness is not inert - it is alive, it is like a root that grows and takes over more and more territory in the heart.
Finally, if you are a bitter, resentful, unforgiving person who carries past hurst around instead of letting them go, you are a "defiling" agent of those that you come in contact with.
If this is not convincing enough, Robert Leslie Holmes writes in an articles in the Preaching Magazine (Volume 24 No.4) that resentment is like "taking poison and waiting for your enemy to die". He illustrates this point with a fact about rattlesnakes: "a rattlesnake, if it is cornered, will sometimes become so angry that it will bite itself and die of its own poison. This is exactly what harbouring resentment against others is - biting oneself".
I am sure you know of devastated lives, destroyed relationships and destroyed churches because someone could not let go of the hurt, of the pain, of the unfair treatment they experienced.
The choice is yours - let it go and be free or let it live in your heart and let it be a poison to your soul and all those you come in contact with.
Hebrews 12:15 says "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled". There are a number of things we can see in this verse; first of all bitterness (unforgiven pain, resentment) means to come short of the grace of God. It means failing to get a hold of something great that God has for us, something that makes us free, that makes us cast off the bonds and soar with Him.
Secondly, bitterness is not inert - it is alive, it is like a root that grows and takes over more and more territory in the heart.
Finally, if you are a bitter, resentful, unforgiving person who carries past hurst around instead of letting them go, you are a "defiling" agent of those that you come in contact with.
If this is not convincing enough, Robert Leslie Holmes writes in an articles in the Preaching Magazine (Volume 24 No.4) that resentment is like "taking poison and waiting for your enemy to die". He illustrates this point with a fact about rattlesnakes: "a rattlesnake, if it is cornered, will sometimes become so angry that it will bite itself and die of its own poison. This is exactly what harbouring resentment against others is - biting oneself".
I am sure you know of devastated lives, destroyed relationships and destroyed churches because someone could not let go of the hurt, of the pain, of the unfair treatment they experienced.
The choice is yours - let it go and be free or let it live in your heart and let it be a poison to your soul and all those you come in contact with.
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