Have you had your JOY JUICE today? If it’s made with the fruit of the Spirit,
then you can know for sure that it’s “the real thing”!
Continuing
our study of Ephesians 4, let’s look at verse 32… “Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Most of us would
say that we try to be kind to
others. But it is really difficult to be
kind to someone who has hurt you or a family member or friend, isn’t it? We know we need to forgive those who have
wronged us; if we don’t our anger and hurt will become like a festering wound
in our minds and souls….and thus comes the bitterness that is mentioned in the
previous verse. (Ephesians 4:31)
“Sometimes
we try to do the right thing and forgive, only to have our act of forgiveness
misunderstood or rejected. After all,
when we forgive someone, we are forgiving them for something they did
wrong---and they may not be willing to admit this. Or they may think we’re trying to manipulate
them or make them treat us better. This
is why we need to focus on our own attitudes and forgive them in our
hearts---whether they accept our forgiveness or not.” (Billy Graham)
Billy
Graham reminds us that we don’t ever have to worry about this kind of
“misunderstanding” from God. “When we
come to Christ, our sins are forgiven and our relationship is
restored---completely and fully.” Oh,
what JOY floods our hearts when forgiven by the Savior!
May our prayer be: “Father, give us a compassionate heart…willing to
forgive and ready to share the joy of Jesus!”
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