Hi there! I'm so glad you're back, or perhaps here for the first time. I just have to tell you that I've really been praying for the readers of this blog and just feel a special burden for each of you - even though I don't personally know you. One day I was thinking about this and decided that maybe the "bond" I feel is not so unusual after all, since we are "sisters" - in the Lord's family!
Anyway, let's jump right in to today's topic. So far, in the first two posts of this series, we've looked at forgiveness being "God's Will" and "God's Plan." Now I want to turn our attention to a third aspect of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is God's Pruning (Resulting in Fruitfulness): Last time we examined Matthew 18 where we read the Parable of the Wicked Servant. Jesus told this parable to illustrate his response to a question Peter had asked. "Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?'" (Matthew 18:21)
Now to grasp the significance of what Jesus said, we must understand a little background information. During this time, the Jews taught that a man ought to forgive three times, but not the fourth. So, in saying "seven times," Peter must have thought it a real stretch of charity to go from three times, to seven. It's possible he was even thinking of Genesis 4:15, where God said, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Imagine then, if you will, the disciple's astonishment when Jesus answered: "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (verse 23)
What Peter didn't understand yet was that Jesus meant there was to be no limit; no fixed number of times we are to forgive. Rather we are to forgive as God does, with mercy and long-suffering. We can almost imagine the Master gently saying: "Patience, Peter. Not just seven times - but many, many times. In fact, as many times as it takes." One commentary I referred to may have summed it up best - "Forgiveness is qualitative, not quantitative." (Vincent's New Testament Word Studies)
As for you and I, a good question we should ask ourselves in the midst of a crisis of forgiveness is this: "What purpose does the Lord have for me in this?" If we know and believe the words of Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose," then the immediate answer is that He means something good to come from our current mess.
In light of Jesus' response to Peter, could it be that the Lord is using this trial, painful as it may be, to bring about a needed change in you? I can certainly attest to this in my life. May I go on to suggest that one reason He may have allowed this to happen is to help you develop Christ-like long-suffering (perseverance, endurance)? Look with me at a few passages that demonstrate what I mean:
"3And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope..." (Romans 5:3-4)
"2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)
"6In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ..." (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Without a doubt, we see from these verses that the means of our spiritual growth is trials and tribulation. They are actually God's mercy toward us. This trouble you're facing, and the thing God is asking you to do in forgiving your offender, will most definitely result in you growing in patient long-suffering. Simply put - trials are God's way of "pruning us." Remember the words of Jesus in John's Gospel, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." (John 15:1-2)
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
In every one of those three passages above, and so many more throughout the Scriptures, you see the progressive nature of patience:
1.) It leads to other virtues which....
2.) Ultimately leads to our hope of seeing Jesus, and bringing glory to Him one day.
Now let me tackle both of these points. First, in 2 Peter 1:5-8 the Bible tells us, "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." From this there's so many things I could point out! Two I'll mention though is that in this passage Peter ends his list of qualities with love. Likewise, the Apostle Paul told us that the greatest of these (virtues) is "love." (1 Corinthians 13:13) If we are unforgiving, we cannot possibly be simultaneously loving. Yet what is the very thing we are commanded by the Lord to do towards our enemies? That's right - love them. (Matthew 5:44) This sort of makes us squirm, doesn't it?! However, our patience and long-suffering, developed through our godly choice to forgive, will lead us on the road to becoming perfected in love.
This second point I'll direct once more to you. Please look again above at 1 Peter 1:6-7 and notice that your faith, after it's been tested through trials such as you may be experiencing right now, will culminate in bringing glory and honor to the Lord Jesus. Praise God! Similarly, in John 15:8 we are told: “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." Your suffering, like Jesus' own, is never in vain, but produces fruit and is to the Father's glory.
Oh, I get so excited by this! My prayer is that excitement and hope are beginning to rise in you too! Bear in mind - there is a divine plan and purpose to your affliction, and mine. Forgiveness is sometimes hard; but we learned previously that we've been given all we need to do it. His strength is indeed made perfect in our weakness. Finally, today we also saw that our choice to forgive sets us on an exhilarating path of growth and, ultimately, glory to God.
"To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
Friend, that's my prayer for you as well. Go in peace! As always, feel free to comment here if you like.
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