SEPTEMBER 7

2 Corinthians 2:7

                    FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER
One reason that the apostle Paul wrote this epistle was to urge the church in Corinth to forgive a brother-in-Christ who had sinned and had been excommunicated from church.To excommunicate is to expel a church member who refuses to repent of his or her sin even after being warned. Such a person is not allowed to worship in church or join the fellowship of the brethren. However, the brother-in-Christ in Paul’s epistle had repented of his sins. Paul directed the church to restore him and to receive him again to their assembly.

To forgive someone means that we should not be angry with anyone who has done something wrong. Jesus tells us to forgive people who try to hurt us and who don’t like us. If they hit us, do we hit them back? No. Just as Jesus forgave us of our sins, we should follow His example and turn away from seeking revenge.

We should be kind to our enemies because God the Father is kind to those who are His enemies. There was a missionary who was preaching on a street. Suddenly one man sneaked behind the missionary and hit his head with a large stick. The preacher fell. The people grabbed the assailant and called a policeman to take him to jail, but the missionary stopped the policeman. All the people were very surprised and asked why.

He replied, “Jesus, the One I am telling you about, told me to be kind to those who hurt me and to forgive them.” Turning to the assailant, he said, “I forgive you, but always remember that you are released because Jesus tells me not to be angry with you.” The people became more interested to hear about Jesus and the Bible. What if the missionary did not forgive the attacker? What if he was angry?

When someone hurts you and isn’t nice to you, tell God about it.He fully understands what it means to be gracious and merciful. He will help you show Christian love. Think about Jesus often and be like Jesus.

Thought: How do you not get angry when someone hurts you and isn’t nice to you?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving my sins. Help me to forgive those who try to hurt me and to love them because You love them. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.