Forgive
But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. Matthew 26:50
Jesus died on the cross to forgive the sin of the world. He bled and suffered to pay the price of sin . . . all sin for all time. You and I are forgiven today because of that payment. In fact, all people are forgiven, but not all walk in that forgiveness. It must be personally received in order for the payment of forgiveness to be activated in someone’s life.
Jesus forgave sin, long before He died to pay the penalty. We see in today’s reading that when Judas came to betray Him, Jesus called Him friend to show Him that He still loved Him despite what he was doing to turn Jesus over to be crucified. Throughout His entire ministry, Jesus spent time with sinners. Those that wanted to be forgiven at brought to a place of redemption. Forgiveness was always in His heart, and He gave it freely everywhere He was. Even when He was suffering on the cross, He prayed: “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” He was praying for those who were executing the order to kill Him because He had a heart to forgive, not to be grudging. It was because He is love and there no holding on to offense in Him.
You and I have the power to forgive, also. Our heart is always prepared to either forgive or hold on to hurts and resentments. It is up to each individual to decide ahead of time the heart they want to have. Thankfully, we will never have to pay the penalty for sin because Jesus already did that, but we do have to make the choice to release anything we are holding on to that keeps us in unforgiveness.
Today I want to encourage you to choose forgiveness. Choose to receive the forgiveness that God gives you through the blood of Jesus and choose to forgive others that have hurt and offended you. You have a choice, but you have to decide before an offense comes that you are going to do it. God put the power of forgiveness in your heart when He put His love on the inside of you. Use that power to set yourself free from the bondage and bitterness of retaliation. Instead, release those who have sinned against you and walk in the freedom of God’s love and forgiveness from now on.
Today’s scripture reading: Matthew 26:47-56
47 And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people.
48 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.”
49 So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
50 Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.
51 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.
53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?
54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day.
56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
The Daily Dose 