For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

By: Joe Anderson and Elijah Anderson

The core issue here is the hardness of our hearts toward God and others. When we resent and are angry with others, it makes our hearts hardened towards the grace and forgiveness God wants for us to have.

If we don’t forgive others, we aren’t able to let go of the wrong and move on. We want to have control of our own lives, instead of trusting God to help us forgive and be kind to those who are mean to us or persecute us.

When we allow bitterness and anger to drive our thoughts and actions, we have no space for God’s healing grace in our hearts.

To truly forgive, we must recognize how much we have already been forgiven by God. It opens up a channel to us to realize that forgiveness produces the fruit of repentance in us and others. Do you want to have a big impact in life? Start with forgiveness. It shines brightly the love of Jesus to those around us.

Thank you, Lord, for helping us learn to forgive and not hold grudges. When trials come our way, or people hurt us, we can trust you to open our hearts. Nobody deserves your grace, but we all can receive it with softened hearts. Help us to practice this through our weeks, and no matter how challenging, we can be fast to forgive.