Elisha Vision – Commentary

(Ken Lawrence is my brother and is my pastor. He and his wife, Mavis, presently serve River of Life Church in Sandpoint, Idaho. His thoughts on forgiveness offered here were recently published in his local newspaper. His word is a great followup to my last post: Warning To All Believers)

New Year’s resolutions, diet, and exercise plans are what many folks are thinking about as we move into a new year. Perhaps January would be a good time to purpose in our hearts that we will follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who made it His practice to forgive those who wronged Him.  Early in His ministry He taught His followers to turn the other cheek when they were being mistreated, and even on the cross, forgiveness was part of His declaration. It has become more apparent to me recently that many of the hurting people that I know are hurting not only because of what has been done to them, but because of their inability to forgive those who have hurt them. So often our unforgiveness hurts us more than it hurts the other person. Unforgiveness becomes like a cancer that can eat you alive.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us that we would be forgiven in the same way that we forgive others. It is my conviction that you can find a new freedom in your life if you will forgive those who have hurt and wronged you. I do understand that some people treat us wickedly at times, and I am not suggesting that you always must stay in a place where you can continually be hurt. For many years I have shared that another person’s problem is not our primary problem, but rather our problem is our reaction to their problem. In the days ahead, please try to make it a way of life to forgive people around you who have wronged you and you will usually experience a peace and often you will see a difference in the life of the one you have forgiven. Have a great new year and be blessed in Jesus Christ’s name.