THE CHOSEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL...THEME: UNFORGIVENESS IS A BARRIER TO JOY

THE CHOSEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL...

DATE: Friday, January 19 , 2018.

TEXT: Matthew 18: 21-35

THEME: UNFORGIVENESS IS A BARRIER TO JOY

MEMORISE: “14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man. 15 shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” ( Hebrew 12:14-15)

MESSAGE: 

Unforgiveness is a trap that the devil is using to ensnare many Christians today. It is true that many people have been offended in unimaginable ways. For example, some have had their reputation soiled by the lies of others which cause untold heart break and shame. Others have had their life savings stolen or defrauded by people they trusted and are now living in penury and suffering. 

Others have been denied critical help from people that could easily have given them that life saving help in time of need while others still have suffered many losses including life at the hands of other. Nobody can say that these things are not extremely painful especially when they have been caused by people we trusted and loved. 

It is because of examples such as these that many believe that unforgiveness can be justified in some instances and may not be counted against them. Nothing can be further from the truth.

In spite of the painful nature of offense, God has commanded us to forgive our offenders unconditionally. He expects us to forgive the person whether he or she deserves forgiveness or not even when the person maybe unrepentant. He also

does not expect us to seek revenge or retribution. God is not asking us for

something that He himself is not prepared to do. He forgave us all our sins no

matter how grievous they seem. He is willing to welcome the most vilest sinner once he truly repents. The Bible says that He forgave us while we were still sinners. What He forgave us for cannot be compared to what others have done to us.

When we refuse to forgive those that have wronged us we are not only sinning against God, we are also harming ourselves. This is because unforgiveness breeds bitterness. Have you ever seen a happy bitter man before? Of course not. 

So, you are robbing yourself of joy. It has also been scientifically proven that unforgiveness causes many physical ailments ranging from headaches to ulcers and even some cancers. There is a saying that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. We must therefore forgive one another no matter the offence. Forgive and let God work out your vindication. Any other way will rob you of your joy.

Worship/praise God and then take the following prayer points:

1. Lord, give me the mind of Christ and grace to forgive even those things that seem hard to forgive.

2. Let your peace and joy that surpasses human understanding be my portion in Jesus name

3. I thank you Lord for the grace you have given my G. O and Mummy in the Lord to forgive those that offend them, I pray for more grace for them in Jesus name

AUTHOR: PST LAZARUS MUOKA

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