God's Love & Forgiveness

Verse of the day: Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Praise God for His love and forgiveness! Jesus, on the Cross giving His life to purchase salvation for us, who are so undeserving. The greatest act of love ever performed in the history of man. John 3:16 tells us how much He loved us. Our Lord and Savior set the example for us of what love and forgiveness look like. Though we were sinners (His enemies), He showed us how much He loved us, by giving His life to save us from eternal condemnation (Rom 5:8). Interestingly enough, both the words for love and forgiveness are action words. Jesus did not just say He loved us, He proved it (in a big way) by coming to earth, and giving His life for us. When He was on the Cross, at Calvary, and asked for forgiveness on our behalf, He stayed on the Cross. He did not change His plan to die for us. He did not withdraw His grace, or love us any less. Instead, He offered us what we do not deserve, eternal life. His forgiveness was an active forgiveness, and not just words. In doing this, He set the example for us. In Matthew 5:44, He tells us to love our enemies. In Proverbs 25:21-22, we are told that if our enemy is hungry or thirsty, we are to give him/her something to eat or drink, for which we will then receive a reward from the Lord. In Matthew 18:22, Jesus, in His response to Peter told him to forgive seventy times seven, if the offender came seeking forgiveness. In Ephesians 4:32, we are told to forgive, even as God has forgiven us, for Christ’s sake. The word “forgive”, in this passage, means to do something pleasant; to give graciously or graciously restore. In other words, it is not enough to say that we love or forgive our offenders, but we must show it in the way we treat them. We are to put aside bitterness, anger, grudges, malice, and so on. We are to be kind, tenderhearted, and our actions and attitude should reflect that. Too often we are the ones who set the conditions for loving others, and forgiving those that have offended us. However, that is not what the Bible tells us. Just as God’s love is unconditional, and His forgiveness is readily given, when sought (God’s way); so we too are to offer both, as God gives it. Let us, today, take inventory of those we need to show more love toward, and forgiveness, and actively seek to practice what Jesus already set the example for. In Matthew 5:23, we are reminded that our gift(s) are unacceptable to God if we at odds with our brother/sister. We are instructed to go and be reconciled (by God’s standard), and then bring our gift(s). If you have not accepted the gift of love that God is offering, let today be the day of your salvation; for we are not guaranteed tomorrow (2 Cor 6:2; James 4:13-14).