Why is it so important to forgive? The Bible uses the word for-
give four hundred and ninety times. Why do you think that is? May-
be because it matters to God.


There are many reasons for forgiving someone and wanting to
be forgiven. They go hand in hand, really. Forgiving someone
after they hurt you doesn’t mean you give your power away; it actu-
ally means you are taking it back. God’s more willing to forgive us
than we are to admit our sins to Him.
Jesus’s last words on the cross were, “Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do.” I’m so grateful that Luke wrote that
because I think of that when someone says something I could get
offended at or get an attitude about. It stops me in my tracks, really.
If you think about it, Jesus was hanging on a cross after hours of
being beaten by the same people He is asking God to forgive. That’s
pure grace, Jesus was so amazing. He understood things we could
never wrap our minds around.

What was Jesus’s purpose here on earth? Yes, He was sent to
sacrifice Himself for our sins, but He was a teacher who focused on
spreading the Word of God before there was a Word of God. He
wanted everyone to know He had a loving Father who cared for
them and loved them, and He wanted to show them how to live with
God forever. God loves us that much.
Forgiveness is a form of love; it says in Romans 3:23-24 For all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (meaning we will
never live up to God’s standards because we were all born sin-
ners) and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemp-
tion that came by Christ Jesus. So, if we accept what Jesus did for
us, dying on the cross for our sins and humbling ourselves before the
Lord, asking for His forgiveness of those sins, even the ones we do
not know we have done, then we can be with God in everlasting
life.

It says something similar in John 20:23, but this is Jesus speak-
ing to His disciples after His resurrection. If you forgive anyone’s
sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are
not. In other words, if their sins were forgiven and they could pick
up their mat and walk, you know they were forgiven. But if you do
not believe in Jesus Christ and do not forgive, you are not forgiven,
then you will pay for your own sins. It says in Matthew 6:15, but if
you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive
your sins. This includes forgiving ourselves. Can you imagine an
eternity of paying for your sin?
Forgiveness is essential to God, as it is to Jesus, so it should be
essential to you, too. Some people let their pride and anger guide
them; they would rather go to hell than forgive the person who hurt
them. Anger and fear can affect our thinking, can’t it?
I read an interview with Alice Cooper, he said, “A lot of people
say they came to Christ because of their love for Jesus. Well, I
came to Christ because of my fear of God. I totally understood that
hell was not getting high with Jim Morrison, but I was tired of living
this way. I’ll tell you one thing when Jesus opens your eyes, and you
finally realize who you are and who He is, it’s a whole different
world. Isn’t that the truth? In my wildest dreams, I never thought I
would agree with Alice Cooper, but I totally agree with him. Once
Jesus opens your eyes and you realize who He is and who you are,
it’s a whole different world. It doesn’t matter which one brings you to
Jesus; as long as it brings you, that’s all that matters.
So, forgive often and love much; it’s totally worth the changes. It’s a lot lighter to live with peace and grace in your heart than it is to live with bitterness, fear, and anger. Amen.. ~~Barb Novad