Topic: Forgiveness
Bible Reading: Amos 7-9; Revelation 7.
Memory Verse: “The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.” Amos 7:3 (KJV)
God is supreme and He does as He pleases. He says in Deuteronomy 32:39 (KJV), “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” With such power, no one can contend with the Almighty. Inspite of His omnipotence, He listens to the pleas of men and forgive our trespasses.
In our Bible reading of today, God showed Amos a vision of His plan to make grasshoppers eat up all the plants of Israel for their sins but the prophet pleaded for mercy and God agreed to forgive the people. Amos 7:3 (KJV) states, “The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.” So even when God has decided to punish any individual, a group of people or a country for their sins, when such people or others on their behalf raise their voices to God and plead for mercy, God listens and forgive such individuals or group. This is why He said in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV), “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
So whatever sin you or others have committed, no matter how grievious, you can approach God directly to plead for forgiveness for yourself or on behalf of those who have sinned. One of the conditions that is paramount to such forgiveness however is repentance. The sinner must turn away from such sins and ask God for forgiveness as a sign of readiness to turn away from such sins. In addition, the sinners must humble themselves by seeking the face of God for the forgiveness.
Once you are humble, sincere and turn from the sin, the only other condition critical for your forgiveness is that you should forgive others. Luke 11:4 (KJV) says, “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” The Lord Jesus further stressed this in Matthew 18: 23-35 where a man who owed the king ten thousand talents was forgiven when he pleaded for mercy but when he saw another man who owed him just a hundred pence he refused to forgive him and put him in prison. This was reported to the king who had forgiven him his own larger debt earlier and the king called him and reversed his forgiveness and insisted he should pay just the way he had treated his own debtor!
How well do you forgive others? It’s time to search yourself and forgive anyone who has offended you so that you may not be hindering answers to your prayers.
Action point: Examine your mind and identify those who have offended you that you are yet to forgive and forgive such people.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero