The Hidden Commandment

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

One of the most difficult things that an individual can do or will do is forgiving another person. At the first glance we may not realize the implications of this commandment. However, if we look into the lives of people, who have had un-forgiveness festering in their lives, you will see that it has created bondage in their and their children’s lives. It is like constantly dragging a large millstone attached to your hand.

There are many people who seem to have memorized the Lord’s Prayer; unfortunately they never seem to recognize this hidden & powerful commandment that Jesus has mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer. We always seem to be expecting God to forgive us, since we deserve it, but we never seem to forgive others who have sinned against us. Don’t they deserve it too?

Many people pass through our lives; however their attitudes, their upbringing, their selfish and individualistic nature always seem to brush our lives in a wrong way. Some do it intentionally and others unintentionally, but one thing is for sure that these incidents create a big mark in our life, like a tattoo on our face. And we carry them all through our lives, and for some until their death-bed. When we do not forgive them, our relationships with these people become bitter day by day and we never seem to experience peace in our own lives, even though we seem to be telling everybody else that things are going fine. It is like living a life of “bitter” denial.

Maybe your brother did things that offended you, maybe your sister cheated you from your family property, maybe your spouse treated you badly, maybe your mother left your dad for another man, maybe your friend betrayed you, maybe your employer blamed you for things that you never did and fired you. If we start counting, we will find thousands of reasons for not forgiving, but we will always find only one solution, that is forgiveness.

Based on some studies done it has been seen that un-forgiveness creates bitterness and resentment in our heart. The bitterness can feed into gossip or murmuring and some times it also leads to revenge. We tend to gossip to solicit sympathy from others and to prove how good we are, since we never did that grievous act. Sometimes people may not express their un-forgiveness through their mouth, but seem to keep it deep in their hearts. This can lead to problems related to your heart; it may make you sick and also lead to multiple complications.

If you say something about somebody and if you cannot say that in front of that person, then it is gossip. And also if things said about another person are untrue, then surely it is gossip, since we may think we are right, but we never seem to recognize the other person’s views, as to why he/she did the act or say things that hurt you. The issue is not, who did what and why, but it is a matter to forgive for no matter what the reason and move on. This is why the Bible tells us go to our brother or sister and work out (reconcile) our differences. When we reconcile, we become right in sight of God, we will have no bitterness in our heart against that person.

God never desired us to have bitterness in our lives, but we always seem to be making that choice to have bitterness through un-forgiveness. God’s commandment of forgiveness was not to bind us, but to release love, joy and peace in our lives. When these fruits of the Holy Spirit start dwelling in our life, bitterness is thrown out and blessings start flowing in. The bondage is loosened and we are released. Forgiveness eventually leads to release.

We all know the 10 commandments, but it is this hidden commandment that many of us struggle with and fail many times. I hope you recognize that forgiveness is NOT optional. This is not only a commandment from Jesus, but it a guarantee that you will receive love, joy, peace in your current and future life. Above all it helps us to be set right in front of God, especially when we mess up and require his forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness is our only “Life line” in front of a Holy God, but forgiving others for their sins against you is a pre-requisite for you to receive God’s forgiveness.

Jesus loves us very much and he recognizes that you need help to forgive others. If you are struggling to forgive somebody today, and you are finding it extremely difficult to forgive them, then all you need to do is ask Jesus to help you forgive them. God’s grace is waiting at your door step to help you forgive somebody who did wrong things to you, but you are the one who has to open the door for Jesus by simply asking for help. Jesus will keep waiting until you make that choice today.

Stanley Samuel

God’s Electric Cable

Mark 2: 3-4 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.

The book of Mark tells us an awesome story of four friends who after experiencing the blessing of Jesus in their life began thinking of others in need. We can see in this story that these people were determined to extend the blessings that they received to their paralytic friend. Their commitment was so strong that they went to the extreme to open up the roof so that their friend could be touched by the Living God.

All who believe in Jesus are connected to God through His electric cable. All electrical equipments get their power to operate only when they are connected to the power socket through an electric cable. Let’s take the example of a laptop which can also work on battery. When the laptop operates only on battery then with time and use its life will start deteriorating. However, when the laptop is connected to the electric outlet on the wall through an electric cable, then the laptop’s productivity is always at 100% or at its best. As long as the cable is connected between the laptop and the electric outlet, the laptop receives full power and it is able fully open up all its different programs.

Our life is just like the laptop with no cable connected to its power source; we constantly try to operate as if we are on battery power. We try to do things with our own intellect, logic, understanding and worldly concerns, but then we see our productivity reducing with time & use, eventually our efforts become useless. However, if we are connected to the living God through faith, love and prayer, then His Holy Spirit power will flow through us and touch the lives of people around us. It is like a fully functioning laptop connected to a network of multiple computers across the World Wide Web, where each and every laptop or computer is freely connecting with each other.

When the electric cable is connected to the power socket even the rechargeable battery in the laptop gets fully charged. The laptop does not have a need to operate on its own energy, since it can work on full capacity from the power source. Similarly, when we have the connection with God through Jesus we too will never have the need to use up our energy. We think we need to work our way to heaven, but what we need is grace of God working through our lives, touching the lives of people around us. The Lord’s Holy Spirit power will help us and empower us to do what God wants us to do, rather than what we may think is the right thing to do. Only then can we truly attend to the need of a brother or sister, otherwise all our efforts will be futile.

Our lifestyles have become so busy, that we rarely have time to think about ourselves and hence many times we likely miss the needs of others. How many times we have said this statement, “Oh I did not even know that you were going through that or this problem?”

In this life there are so many people who have carried emotional burdens for too long. There are those who are assaulted each day by mental anguish, feelings of darkness and hopelessness. There are people whose spirits are crippled with despair and confusion. Jesus came into this world and died for our sins so that we can be liberated through spiritual healing, mental healing, and emotional healing. However, the most important healing that Jesus does in a person’s life is the healing of our soul, which makes us ready for eternity. God’s healing power is here to set everybody free.

We may be on our way to work, shopping in the mall, grocery shopping or possibly taking a walk; you will surely find people who are in need? However, only when you allow the Holy Spirit power of God to work in your life would you be able to truly attend to those needs, otherwise all your efforts will be futile. The man on the stretcher was paralyzed. He alone could not have ever made it to Jesus. However, only when his four friends allowed the power of God work through their lives that they were able to connect their paralyzed friend to Jesus. That is when they saw an awesome power of God being manifested in their friend’s life. So are you too willing to allow Jesus to let his Holy Spirit power to flow through your lives today? Are you willing to be connected to God’s electric cable?

Stanley Samuel