“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever, he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us”
Psalm 103:8-12.
As Christians, we are held to a high standard by the world. We are watched and constantly being evaluated as to how we act and what we say. The world’s expectations of us often do not align, unfortunately, with the imperfect people that we are. That sets up an atmosphere for conflict and tension and leaves room for resentment and broken relationships. It often puts us in a position to be defensive, instead of forgiving.
But we must realize that many in the world know not what they do. They have not yet accepted, nor understand, that even though we try to live out our faith to the best of our ability, we will fail at times. We are made perfect in Christ, but we are imperfect in the flesh.
As believers though, we do know! And God does expect different behavior from us. Because we have experienced His grace, we should be able to recognize our failures and look past the insensitivity of others to fully forgive what they have yet to understand.
The best example we can be for those who do not know Christ, is to show them the mercy and grace that Christ Himself shows us. People can tell if there is unforgiveness in our hearts, especially when it is towards them. And because Jesus shows us mercy, so should we be merciful to them. It should be easier for us to forgive because we know who gets the Glory! We should forgive so that when people see us, they see who Jesus is.
We may never sit in the place of being wrongly accused as Jesus (Luke 23:34) and Stephen (Acts 7:60) did, but we may often be mistakenly perceived. And whether we feel that we are right or whether we feel that we are wrong, we should ask God to help us model His forgiveness. His name’s sake is worth the prudent gesture so that He can be made famous!
12 words
Enlighten them with love. Honor them with forgiveness. Teach them by example.
Lord God, we take for granted our knowledge of your grace sometimes and forget that not everyone is as enlightened as we are. Let me be an example of who you are, pointing the world back to the cross. And make me a beacon of light in a dark and lost world so that your gift is recognized, and your name is glorified. Amen.
Scripture Reflection:
Ephesians 5:15-17, 21
Philippians 4:9
I Corinthians 10:31-11:1
