A few Fridays ago, we had work done on my wife’s car. I got my wife’s car keys and took the car to the auto repair shop, giving them those keys. Later in the day – when I got the car back – I placed the keys on the dashboard and used my keys to drive home.
When I got home, I went inside and totally forgot about her keys. (We didn’t go anywhere on Saturday, so no one thought about them.)
Sunday morning came, and I drove to the church early. Thirty minutes before the service was to start, I got a call from my wife: “Hey…I don’t have a car key on my keychain!”
I responded, “I know where it is…it’s locked securely in your car! I’ll be right there!”
“Isn’t there someone you could get to bring your keys out to me?” she asked. But I didn’t bother asking anyone….after all, I messed up.
So, with 30 minutes before church started, I grab my coat and drove the 11 miles home, and back. Mind you, it normally takes 20 minutes to drive there one way! I got back to church at 9:59 a.m.
Afterwards, people came up to me and said, “You could have told me and I would have taken the keys to your wife so didn’t have to.” And of course, that was true…but I had reasoned, “I messed up, so I have to pay the consequences for that mess-up. I’m the one that needs to pay the penalty.”
The Underlying Disappointment
There’s an underlying disappointment that holds people back from really getting intimate with God. People believe that God is good and that He is for them, but then they look at things that have taken place in their lives. They start asking, “Why did these things happen?” “Why did a parent die early?” “Why this sickness?” “Why was I involved in this car wreck?” We all have questions sometimes where we don’t solidify the answer and we leave the questions lingering. The enemy takes advantage of that and tries to build in our subconscious thought, we deserved it. He says, “You know what you’ve done…this is just payback.”
We need to break free from that kind of thinking. The way we do that is by accepting the forgiving power of God – His forgiveness of us – and accepting the Truth that we don’t get what we deserve.
Guilt says, “I’m not forgiven.” Condemnation says, “I’m worthy of being judged.” Shame says, “What I’ve done is still who I am; that’s why I’m ashamed.” These are all things that the enemy tries to plant in us. But the good news is, we don’t have to accept the enemy’s lies. Why? Because God is love.
“Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].” – 1 CORINTHIANS 13:7 (AMPC)
Out of His great love, God forgave us…before we were even born, God through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, forgave each and every sin we would commit. Walking in love is forgiveness in advance!
“Walking in love is forgiveness in advance!”
This is the same attitude we should have with others. If we’re truly walking in love as Christians, that love will bear all things regardless of what comes, always look for the best in others, and endure all things without our attitude of forgiveness weakening.
The problem is, most people don’t forgive themselves; therefore, they cannot forgive others.
Another thing to realize is that when we do forgive others, it’s shouldn’t be done for our sake. It should be done to give glory to God. 1 John 2:12 reminds us, “your sins are forgiven you for His Name’s sake.” When we show forgiveness – walking in love – we’re actually showing that we believe God and that He has forgiven us.
“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” – EPHESIANS 4:30-32 (NLT)
I like how the Mirror Bible says it: “The Holy Spirit is your signet ring form God to confirm that you are redeemed to live your life in the light of day; any conduct that belongs to the night grieves Him. Take up the strongest possible position against every form of distorted behavior in your own life. Do not allow yourself to be spiteful; outbursts of violent emotion and rage do not become you. You don’t have to shout in order to make your point.
“People must feel safe in your conversation; therefore, slander and hurtful words[blasphemy] are out! Be inspired by kindness and compassion; your forgiving one another when you might feel irritated and frustrated demonstrates the way God graciously treated us in Christ.”
Being offended or hurt by others only shows a deficiency in our love walk; it doesn’t show how awful the other person is. If you’re a Christian, you’re part of Christ’s body…therefore, you are love. Walk in that love. Remember: Walking in love is forgiveness in advance. Don’t let where others aren’t take you away from where you are.
To watch the entire Jan. 24, 2021 message on which this post was based, click here.
