True Life Church

Lesson 3

The Joy of Marriage - The Forgiving Heart (continued)

Greetings to everyone. I hope you are doing well and your marriage is growing stronger each day. Last time we talked about the importance of forgiveness. Every marriage will experience difficult challenges and struggles throughout life. Challenges will come. The answer isn’t how to avoid every struggle (though we can avoid many of them by learning how to be a godly husband or wife), but how to work through and allow the trials to help us grow closer together and strengthen our marriage. Unforgiveness is self-destructive.

A Bible story found in Matthew, chapter 18, tells us about a man who owed a debt he could never repay. They brought him before the person to whom he was indebted. The creditor forgave this man his entire debt. Forgiving the debt was a kind and generous act. One might think this act would foster a generous spirit of forgiveness toward others in return. Yet when given the opportunity, the man who had been forgiven his debt did not forgive a debt which was owed to him. When his former creditor forgave his debt, the man was free. He could choose to forgive or not forgive. Choosing not forgive the debt owed to him bound the man and the ones he loved. His former creditor heard of his unkindness and had the man and his entire family thrown in jail until he could repay the debt. This is the result of unforgiveness. Pure and simple, it destroys the one unwilling to forgive. The power to change the situation and the end result were in this man’s hands, or should I say, heart. Unforgiveness destroyed his life and his family’s life. We have no choice but to learn to forgive and forgive quickly.

Understand that unforgiveness in one area of our life will affect other areas. We become suspicious and interpret every action and word through a suspicious mind. Bitterness will grow and our outlook is tainted. Unforgiveness also hinders us from experiencing the fullness of God. Mark 11:25-26 tells us that our prayers will not be answered and our faith is nullified because of unforgiveness. We miss out on God’s blessings because we won’t forgive.

Friends, forgiveness is not an option. It is a blessing. When we forgive it allows the other party to be influenced by God, giving God the opportunity to change hearts. Forgiveness removes the torment in our lives and brings peace to our hearts. Forgiveness is worth letting go.

Next time we get together we will discuss how to forgive when you don’t feel like forgiving, and how forgiveness can bring restoration to everyone involved. Until next time, God bless. Terry