Forgiveness ... Deeper Than You Might Think

books:

	• The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness John MacArthur Crossway Books, 1998 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Great book on Forgiveness

How many times should we forgive? This book explains to you the power and freedom you get when you forgive others. That without forgiveness we lose the wonder of intimacy with God. Also that it is hard to love others when bitterness is deeply rooted in your heart.

FORGIVENESS

The past won't change; grieve for what will never be. This provides you freedom from the past/abusive person that hurt you. You will never get what you are owed. The worst thing you can do is not forgive. Forgiveness is releasing the person from a debt that they owe you; a work of grace in your heart,given if you put in the effort. Forgiveness only takes one. Forgiveness is the key to your future happiness.
Forgiveness is a release from the burden of anger and pain. When you choose to forgive, you choose to live in the present and the future instead of the past. It does not mean to forget but it does mean to release the negative thoughts and emotions attached to a bad memory and go on with your life. Forgiveness doesn't just happen, you must choose to forgive.

You may have been hurt by something that your partner did to you or hurt because your expectations weren't met. You may have been hurt and you don't even remember why. You may have done something to someone else that you are sorry for. When your burden becomes too great, it becomes a relationship, it consumes your life, it changes who you are and what your relationships could be. It is a wall between you and the intimacy that you seek with the universe.

When you forgive:
You relieve yourself of the burden of the past. You shed the hurt,pain,anger, and loneliness. You drop the weight and you can begin to heal.
You give the person you forgive as well as yourself the freedom to live in peace and to be able to change for the better. Repentance- must show change in direction; confess truth, prove trustworthiness. Confess fears, seek grace (unmerited favor) and let go. Talk about your loss, hurt, and feelings. If you do not forgive you are only condemning yourself to the slavery of guilt (a weight on your soul). Let go of the old life, hurt, and anger. Find where is it coming from? Don't let angry people control you. With out forgiveness you will have no boundaries. You will live in a safe prison with nothing. No one else needs to change only you. No one can make you feel guilty. If you are unhappy; you have the problem. What forgiveness is and is not:

1. Forgiveness is not forgetting.
One can forgive and still grieve a loss or feel pain.
2. Forgiveness does not deny responsibility for behavior. You have simply committed to not holding the other person to the debt they owe.
Some ways to forgive and exercise forgiveness:
1. Write down with pen and paper all of the things that you have done wrong. It is imperative that you write. Word processing is not the same.
2. Read the list you wrote, aloud.
3. Now say "I did the best that I could with the knowledge that I had at the time. I now forgive myself and go free."
4. Destroy the list.
5. Repeat this exercise for each person that has ever hurt you. Congratulations, you are now free to forgive again.

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Forgiveness ... Deeper Than You Might Think

This book went far beyond the typical topic of forgiveness. Each chapter seemed to add a broader sense of personal responsibility and accountability.
For instance, "If we would only learn to be more repulsed by our own sin than we are at the wrong others commit against us, we would be well on the road to spiritual health". Page 10. "The real truth is that no one's sins are trivial." Page 13. These two statements caused me as the reader to pray for a stronger desire to increase my hatred toward sin(mine). "Forgiveness. Nothing is more foreign to sinful human nature. And nothing is more characteristic of divine grace." Page 11. This statement increased my desire to become more Christlike in my thinking concerning divine forgiveness. The overview of true salvation in light of forgiveness was an excellent starting point in the book. Note these challenges were in just the first 13 pages.
In chapter 2, The second sentence in this chapter confirmed what I knew intellectually but as I read it this time it hit me harder. "He was the ultimate and only true victim - totally innocent of any wrongdoing." No one was (or ever will be) less deserving of death. Yet forgiveness filled his heart at the crucifixion, not revenge. Personal application centers on suffering through the wrong doing patiently while not holding any grudges, bad thoughts, or one up-man-ship against anyone who commits a wrong against me or anyone in our family. (Matthew 5:44). I do feel inadequate in this deed. I'm a bit embarrassed to write the following but it never occurred to me that the darkness (divine judgment) that feel over the earth at Christ's death signified the most solemn moment in earth's history. The earthquake that followed was a sign of God's wrath. Realizing that my sin required such a radical sacrifice makes me want to rethink how ugly and distasteful sin really is.

I think you're getting the idea after a two chapter review, this book will be on your "Must Read" book to your friends who desire a stronger walk with our Lord.

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Seventy times seven.
Forgive one another.
Turn the other cheek.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
We may toss these phrases around in our minds like old cliches, or dispense them like aspirin to others who are struggling with legitimate grievances toward another person. But forgiveness isn't a casual concept. God takes it seriously. So seriously that He has not given us an option in the matter. Obedience to His Word is essential.
Why? Mostly for our own sake. There can be no intimacy with God and no love for others in a heart where bitterness and unforgiveness dwell. But where there is forgiveness, there is freedom. Spiritual power. Emotional healing. And sweet fellowship.

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