Before Jesus comes into our lives, it is so easy to see a person who wrongs us as someone that, if not totally evil in motivation, s/he is at least mostly evil. Before Jesus comes into our lives, it’s easy to see someone who does us wrong as selfish and self-centred. It’s easy to see that person as dangerous. Until Jesus comes into a person’s life, compassion for those who do wrong to us is hard to come by. Until Jesus comes into a person’s life, withholding forgiveness and even retaliation is the primary urge, after being wronged.
When Jesus comes into a person’s life, He turns everything around. He does this by giving us a good and honest look at ourselves. If there’s selfishness and self-centred traits to be recognised in anyone, He shows us that we are the one’s who possess those traits. If there’s unforgiveness and bitterness to be repented of, it’s we that need to do the repenting. If anyone needs to quit lying and manipulating, Jesus shows us that we’re the one who are guilty of these things. Lust? It’s ours. Anger? Ours. Betrayal and broken promises? Those are ours as well.
The most important thing that Jesus shows us however, is that just like those who do wrong to us, we wrong others out of OUR weakness, OUR pain, OUR faulty walls of protection and OUR corrupted self-love. Just as we want to be judged by our intentions and not our behaviours, so too the other person. Just as we want to be given a second chance, so too the other person. Just as Jesus has forgiven us, so too must we forgive the person who hurts us.
Jesus is a God of love. He died for us to show us His love. He said, ‘I love your enemies. You must love them also.’ He said, ‘As I have forgiven you, even while you were my enemy, so you must forgive others who mistreat you.’
God is great and God is so very good.
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