Believe me it is not always easy to forgive. My sister had hurt me pretty bad again, and I had a hard time forgiving her. I heard a scripture in my head that said; "Vengeance is mine, sayest the Lord.” I thought this was just great! “Okay Lord, I forgive my sister, you go get her!”
When I told this at the Bible study, one wise sister said; "Jenny, that was not forgiving what you did, it was passing the buck you must forgive her without you thinking of revenge.
To forgive my sister now was not easy, but I finally managed to do so.
* I read about a woman, who had seen her sister and father, die in a concentration camp. This family had been hiding Jews during the war, and were betrayed by someone. This lady was the only one of her family that came out of the war alive. She became an evangelist as she had promised God she would. She had been preaching in Germany, when a man came to her, she recognized him as the one who had been cruel to her sister when he had been a camp guard. He now came to her with his hands outstretched and said; “It is true what you just said, God does forgive everybody that asked Him and He has forgiven me.”
This lady fought the battle of her life, when after what seemed like a long spell, she took his hands in hers and welcomed him into the family of God.
I was in “Melody land,” when a visiting minister asked those who needed to forgive someone, to come up on the platform. He told us to close our eyes, and to ask the Lord to reveal to us, whom and what we needed to forgive. I was shocked to find that there were so many people and things that had been done to me, that I thought I had long forgotten. It all came back to me now. Wow!
As a new Christian, there is so much to learn. Like how do I get more patience and how do I get more love to give to others? Pray, right? Right!
You better mean what you ask for, because He does not answer you in the way you will expect. At least I did not expect it to work that way.
I thought that when I needed patience, I would cry out to the Lord; “Please give me more patience,” the next thing you know, there it would be, all the patience I needed. I was so wrong!
I had to drive about 15 kilometers to get to work. Through farm country. What was that on the road ahead of me? They were farm tractors. Everyday they were there and I could not pass them! I said; "Lord! Please get those things moving!"
“Did you not ask for patience? Well, this is how you learn!”
Some people don't learn quick, or just forget a lesson learned, but I had now asked the Lord for more love, so I could love others more, than the love I felt at times for my brothers and sisters in the church.
You pray this or that way at times and then sort of forget about it. Not to worry, the Lord has a way of reminding you. I was at a Bible study when a woman that was not so lovable to me, came over to talk.
She gave me a hug and I had to give her a hug, the Lord said; “See if you can love this person, the next one will be easier.” And so it was!
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