Category Archives: Grace / Forgiveness

Bitterness / Resentment, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Miracles

Bitterness Hurts the One Who Holds It

Bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness can be real obstacles to healing relationships or just healing in your own life after feeling hurt by others. Even if the person who hurt you does not repent and you never reconcile, holding bitterness and resentment is not helpful. Release it to God and move on with your life.

[Matthew 6:14-15] 14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

[Romans 12:14-19]

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”[a]
    says the Lord.

[Hebrew 12:14-15] 14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

Remember that holding bitterness and resentment in your heart continues to hurt you and impede your healing process. It is like holding a hot pot without a handle… it hurts the one who holds it.

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Fasting, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Prayer

Prayer and Fasting

Jesus provides specific guidance on prayer and fasting in Matthew 6:5-18. Prayer and fasting are intended to be part of a personal relationship with God, not something intended for show or attention before men.

5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
    as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[b]
    but rescue us from the evil one.[c]

14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair[d] and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

God does not want us to perform “religious” activities like prayer or fasting as displays for men. He wants us to develop relationship with Him through these activities by doing them privately.

Jesus lays out in simple instructions the way we should come before God in prayer. It is not about memorizing and repeating words. Instead let the words of Jesus guide us in our approach to prayer before our holy God. Focus first on God… on His kingdom… on His will.  Then ask Him for our daily needs and provision. He intends for us to come before Him every day… not once in awhile. As an extension of our daily needs Jesus guides us specifically to go beyond our physical needs and to ask for forgiveness and for help to resist temptation and the evil one. Satan is real. He is not a metaphor. We need Jesus’ help daily to resist Satan and the traps he lays out for us.

Jesus also reminds us in this scripture that being forgiven by God goes hand-in-hand with forgiving others who you believe have sinned against you. This forgiveness does not mean you endorse or agree with what they did. It means you will not hold a grudge or hold bitterness against them for something in the past. If they wholeheartedly repent you accept them back joyfully and relationship is restored. Even for those who choose not to repent, you should be careful not to harbor bitterness in your heart. Bitterness hurts most the one who holds it.

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Anger (unrighteous anger), Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

God’s Law Demands A High Standard

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Jesus explains the full measure and expectation in the law regarding “murder” in Matthew 5:21-26. He reveals exactly how high God’s standards are and reveals to those of us that are listening that we continue to fall short of those standards.

21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’[c] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,[d] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[e] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,[f] you are in danger of the fires of hell.[g]

23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice[h] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.[I]

Jesus commands us not to hold unrighteous anger toward others. Instead we should seek to be reconciled with them. Holding anger toward others creates bitterness and separates us from God and the joy filled life He wants us to have.

We also see in this scripture that as sinful beings we will never perfectly meet the standard of God’s law. This realization should help us to turn toward Jesus and accept His offer of grace through His death on the cross. Only in this way can we be set free from the bondage of sin.

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