Gospel News — May-Aug 2013

6

Again the word of God says that `sin shall not have dominion over you' (Rom.6:14) `for you are not under law, but under grace.' So let God's word reign in us. When we present our bodies to the word of God, life will take on a whole new meaning.

Bro. Stephen Ogenga, mending shoes

Forgiving Others

Bro. Itai Tembo (Sanyati, Zimbabwe.)

Forgiveness is like a Life Insurance policy. It is like a Medical Aid policy. If we pay our dues or subscriptions without ceasing, we continue to receive cover when we fall sick. Cover is stopped when we go for some time without paying our subscriptions when they are due, and we are quickly reminded to resume contributions, failure of which will lead to our being struck off the beneficiaries list.

Our souls are sick. Just like our human bodies which are prone to sickness and disease, our souls/lives are prone to sin and decay, hence the reason why we need Jesus in our everyday living. That is why he sacrificed his life and its unlimited privileges to save us from our sick souls. He says in Mark 2:17: `It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'

If you forgive the failure of others, our Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive your failures. See Matt.6:14-15. If you forgive those who have hurt you, you stay enrolled on our life/soul insurance policy. Peter asked how often he had to forgive those who wronged him. "Seven times?" he asked. Jesus answered him, "not just seven times, but seventy times seven." Imagine, my brother and sister!!

That now reminds me of the story of the merciful King and the unmerciful servant. A King wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One servant begged not to be sold off with his family after failure to service his debt. The master who was merciful understood, and freed him; yet the same servant could not forgive someone who owed him a little money. He actually imprisoned him. For him there was assurance he would not be imprisoned. When the merciful King heard what the unmerciful servant had done to the one who owed him, he became exasperated and ordered that he be imprisoned also. He says, "Shouldn't you have treated the other servant as mercifully as I treated you?" That is how our Heavenly Father will treat us if we do not sincerely forgive others. Jesus forgave those who persecuted him and crucified him. He said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) So the lesson for us is to forgive others as we want God to forgive us.

Let us, in conclusion, look at the words of Matt.5:7, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."