Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour (uproar; tumult; loud, confused noise), and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice (revenge; ill will; intention or desire to do evil): And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (maliciously spiteful manner) use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:44-45
I love these two passages of scripture. If you apply them to your life, they can really have a Godly impact on you by keeping you from becoming unforgiving, bitter, and resentful following a hurtful, offensive situation. We all encounter those types of hurtful, offensive circumstances and God wants to show us how to handle them His way.
And then blessing others, especially when they’ve hurt you, gives God an opportunity to work in both your life and theirs. It keeps your heart from becoming hard and keeps you open to more of the beautiful, rich, spiritual blessings God has in store for you and releases God to work in the other person’s life as well.
As one of our dear Oregon pastor’s said in a recent teaching, we can forgive others and bless them as we yield to the love of God and what He’s forgiven us for and how He’s loved us when we didn’t necessarily deserve to be forgiven and loved.
That ye may be the children of your Father. That’s the goal. When we’re being the children of our Father, we’re living in the peaceful, restful, loving, joyful dwelling place of the Most High. That’s a blessing unlike any other.
God bless,
Mark