Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
As believers we are called to love one another (John 13:34). Loving others means there will be times they will offend us or sin against us, but we are to forgive them and extend grace. The Bible speaks of forgiveness frequently. It is referenced more than 100 times, so is something every one of us should actively be doing.
Forgiveness does not begin with us. It starts with God. He has forgiven us for our sins and wrongdoing. He has given us grace when we didn’t deserve it. He sent His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. He died for you, forgiving your offenses, as well as those of every other person, including those who sin against you. And He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us love and forgive. We forgive others because He has forgiven us and the Spirit helps us to do so (2 Corinthians 6:4-6).
Choosing to not forgive others and extend grace to them poisons your thinking. Bitterness, anger, and resentment take up residence in your heart and disrupt your fellowship with others. Worse, it disrupts your fellowship with God. It grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). But extending grace to others demonstrates Christ’s love that flows through us to them, restoring all relationships.
We are a family. We are all children of God and are called to live a holy life. Bearing with one another and forgiving as Christ forgave us maintains harmony and fellowship. None of us are perfect. We each have our quirks and will inevitably fail and offend one another, but as believers we show tolerance and grace to endure these offenses.
Don’t hold grudges. Don’t let bitterness and resentment poison your thinking (Ephesians 4:31-32). Extend grace and forgiveness today and restore those relationships in the Lord.
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