Grace is swaddled in love, God’s love
It extends beyond offenses and can even overlook them
Jesus’ grace is powerful
Once we experience that grace, that He overlooks what we have done,
it is a humbling position before the Lord
It is then that we can extend His grace to others,
that we can overlook offenses because of His grace
that will allow us to bring love to others, the same grace He has given it to us
Holding onto offenses is putrid in the sight of God
He is asking us to love our enemies
He is asking us to forgive and to cover sins with love
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. Proverbs 10:12
This does not mean you do not speak to sin
when the Lord gives you the wisdom to do so,
just be sure it is God giving you the wisdom and not your flesh
and that His Holy Spirit is in your words and love is in your heart:
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ: Ephesians 4:15
Being able to overlook offenses comes with a softened heart
It comes from wisdom and the fear of the Lord
A heart that does not count the wrongs,
a heart that does not focus on the bad
God was unhappy with those who accepted His forgiveness,
but that refused to extend it to others
Then Peter came to Him and said,
Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
Until seven times?
And Jesus said unto him,
I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.
Therefore is the Kingdom of Heaven likened unto a certain king
who would settle accounts with his servants.
And when he had begun to reckon,
one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents.
But inasmuch as he could not pay, his lord commanded him to be sold,
and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
The servant therefore fell down and did homage to him, saying,
‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion,
and loosed him and forgave him the debt.
But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred pence. And he laid hands on him,
and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what thou owest.’
And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying,
‘Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’
And he would not, but went and cast him into prison
till he should pay the debt.
So when his fellow servants saw what was done,
they were very sorry and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Then his lord, after he had called him, said unto him,
‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt,
because thou desiredst me.
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant,
even as I had pity on thee?’
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors
till he should pay all that was due unto him.
So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you,
if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother’s trespasses.
Matthew 18:21-35
We are not to let the sun go down on our anger
Be ye angry, and sin not:
let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Ephesians 4:26
In other words, don’t let your anger fester and brew and turn into bitterness:
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; Hebrews 12:15
The root of bitterness is like a poison that spreads and defiles
Stay clean in the Lord and keep yourself pure from malice
The sooner we forgive, the better
The aim is to be so mature in forgiveness, that it can be instant,
walking in grace, the same grace that the Lord has extended to us