Proverbs 3:27-28
27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it to you,”
When you have it with you.
How many times are we guilty of holding grudges?
I know that I have in the past, and I know that there are many people out there who do. Yet what happens when that grudge is challenged by an act of kindness by the person against whom it is held? Do we cling to our stubborn and sinful grudge or do we allow the healing power of a kind act to break down that defensive wall that we have built?
Proverbs teaches us that we should not withhold good from those to whom it is due. Therefore, if someone is going out of their way to mend fences and attempting to seek forgiveness, should we not then offer it to them?
Many people would rather hold on to their bitterness, but as Believers, we have an obligation to forgive, even to forgive those who do not ask for it, so how much more do we owe forgiveness for those who do, even if it is done by action instead of word?
Now, as I always caution, this does not mean that you have to place yourself back in an abusive situation. Forgiveness does not necessarily equate with a mended relationship, but a person should know that they have been forgiven, even if the relationship must be severed.
Yet this is an extreme case. How many other times do we simply hold grudges because we feel like we have a right to?
Imagine if God felt that way toward us?
After all, it is HIS divine and cosmic right.
I'm just grateful that He does not.
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