No Record of Wrongs —Two2Grow, June 14
No Record of Wrongs —Two2Grow, June 14
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4–5 NIV
At one time, we had a visiting preacher in our church who was the leader of many churches in South Sudan, a country in Africa torn apart by a horrible civil war. I hosted him and had time to hear his story. He shared how, when he was young, militia men came to his village and murdered many family members and destroyed their property, but he survived. He was very angry and full of hatred, but when he encountered the Lord, he was filled with love and was able to forgive. His focus on forgiveness and reconciliation has led him to sit with presidents and military leaders to help them reconcile. One of his sayings is that when we hold unforgiveness toward someone who has hurt us, it is like drinking poison while thinking it will destroy our enemy—but we are the ones who actually get hurt.
God wants to flood our hearts with His love so that we don’t have to harbor unforgiveness, anger, and bitterness. As Scripture says, God’s love “keeps no record of wrongs.”
Sometimes we have been so mistreated by people that the record of their wrongs could be very long. But we need to fight the temptation to dwell on it and instead pray that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to forgive.
One way to move from hurt to forgiveness is to start praying for God to bless those who have hurt you. Pray that they will be blessed, healthy, successful, and for any other good thing you can think of. Make a point to do that every time you think of them. In blessing your enemy, you enter the realm of forgiveness.
Lord, help me not to harbor unforgiveness but to bless those who have hurt me. Set me free from bitterness and anger and fill me with Your love. I pray that You will bless [insert the name of the one who hurt you]. Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD
At one time, we had a visiting preacher in our church who was the leader of many churches in South Sudan, a country in Africa torn apart by a horrible civil war. I hosted him and had time to hear his story. He shared how, when he was young, militia men came to his village and murdered many family members and destroyed their property, but he survived. He was very angry and full of hatred, but when he encountered the Lord, he was filled with love and was able to forgive. His focus on forgiveness and reconciliation has led him to sit with presidents and military leaders to help them reconcile. One of his sayings is that when we hold unforgiveness toward someone who has hurt us, it is like drinking poison while thinking it will destroy our enemy—but we are the ones who actually get hurt.
God wants to flood our hearts with His love so that we don’t have to harbor unforgiveness, anger, and bitterness. As Scripture says, God’s love “keeps no record of wrongs.”
Sometimes we have been so mistreated by people that the record of their wrongs could be very long. But we need to fight the temptation to dwell on it and instead pray that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to forgive.
One way to move from hurt to forgiveness is to start praying for God to bless those who have hurt you. Pray that they will be blessed, healthy, successful, and for any other good thing you can think of. Make a point to do that every time you think of them. In blessing your enemy, you enter the realm of forgiveness.
Lord, help me not to harbor unforgiveness but to bless those who have hurt me. Set me free from bitterness and anger and fill me with Your love. I pray that You will bless [insert the name of the one who hurt you]. Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD