Power Of Adding Things UP!

Key Scripture:  "For if you forgive men their trespasses, THEN your heavenly Father will forgive you.  BUT if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you." Matthew 6, 14, 15  

Power Point:

     Often when someone offends us, we begin to ADD UP his or her other sins against us.  Well, he/she did that but I should have expected it because they did all these other things before.  Our mind swings to the past and with laser like precision, we zero in on every single thing they've done since they drew their first breath!  In truth, everything they do from that moment on is carefully added up.  They can never get out of the hole you have dug for them.

Our heavenly Father knows that "counting sin" is one of the most destructive things we can do to ourselves.

     That's why Jesus zeroed in on forgiveness everywhere He went.  You see Beloved, true forgiveness is a gift that we give ourselves. When we refuse to forgive someone, even though we might be perfectly justified in being offended, we hurt ourselves most.  That offence doesn't happen just once, it happens over and over and over again. The real victim of unforgiveness is ourselves. Instead of thinking on all the "good" that God has promised, our focus is on an offense, which causes us to be bitter and angry.  We become unable to access the Life of God that is present in us. The results of unforgiveness, cause us to live separated from the fullness of God's love for us and in us.  We may, walk like a Christian, talk like a Christian, but in truth the we are missing the key to receiving His perfect love, forgiveness, grace and mercy. We become unable to access all that potent healing power of the Holy Spirit, which is readily

available.  We decide that our problem is more important than making the choice to forgive and move past the offense. Someone has said that holding on to bitterness, (or irritation, or frustration), is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. Poison kills the person who ingests it. I take a thyroid pill every morning.  That's a good thing. It helps an important organ in my body to work well. What if you or I took a "bitter" pill every morning before we began our day?  It would be debilitating wouldn't it-not to mention-ultimately fatal.

     We can never be free to experience all that our Father has stored up for us if we are always adding up the sins of others against us.  I am reminded of Moses when Miriam and Aaron betrayed him so profoundly, stirring up the Children of Israel against him.  Moses paid no attention, but God did.  He dealt with it in a way that only He could. I'm pretty sure Miriam never said another word against her brother.

And then of course, there's Job. He would have been justified in holding on to the offences of his friends but the Bible says that after some time alone with God, he began to pray for them. When he did that everything was restored to him, in abundance. After all, forgiveness was God's idea first.

     We have a choice today Beloved, we can repent  (begin to think differently), and be restored, or we can continue to add up and multiply the sins of others until they drown out the voice of God.  The slippery slope of unforgiveness will eventually destroy the very foundation of the kingdom of God in your life. That's why forgiveness is so important.  Begin to add up all the times He's forgiven you.  Set your feet on the firm rock of His ability to forgive you, and then ask Him to multiply your ability to forgive them.  

Love one another for love is of God.

Forgive one another for forgiveness is of God.

Power Thought:

How would your life be different if you focused on all the "good" and the 'new" that God has for you today instead of all the “old” and “heavy”.  What would it be like to be free of all the things you've been adding to your load? Forgiveness is what will set you free and release the Kingdom of God that is in you right now. 

Is it time to put away your calculator?

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work