“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” – Luke 7:47
Anyone who knows anything revealed in the Scriptures about the Living God knows something about forgiveness. In fact, if we do not know about forgiveness deep within our minds and hearts, we certainly are, at best, quite distant from our Creator. Everything about Him is wrapped in His forgiveness. It is the pure heart of His grace. And forgiveness means freedom from the inside-out. This differs from reconciliation, though the two can sometimes completely overlap.
Rodney Hogue’s book on Forgiveness is excellent. He provides a thorough way to make sure we leave nothing on the table regarding understanding and experiencing forgiveness in God and toward others. Here are a few highlights from this amazingly clear book. Take a moment and reflect on each.
The devil blinds us with the lie: “I am punishing my offender by not forgiving them.” (page 5)
“We then hold onto our resentment hoping to find some kind of justice for the wrong that was committed.” (page 5)
“However, for you to forgive me you must release not only my obligation to you but you must also give up any satisfaction you think you would experience whenever I am punished. Forgiveness means that you must release what you are owed and not give your offenders what they deserve.” (page 11)
“Forgiveness means that you are releasing the offender into the care of Jesus who is our just Judge and Defender.” Romans 12:19/(page 13)
“…forgiveness does not mean that you should remove the proper boundaries that could prevent future damage. You do not lose your common sense when you forgive.” (page 19)
“You can choose to forgive and be released from the chains of bitterness and be able to move on and start rebuilding your life. You are the one who benefits from forgiving others.” (page 22)
“The devil wants a base of operations in our lives…a stronghold of bitterness starts off when we do not deal immediately with offenses…demonic thoughts of blame, accusations, self-condemnation, and hate are given legal right to dwell in our lives.” (page 35)
“However, if the heart is fertile for offenses, the seed of an offense is planted and grows up…it comes when we feel we have the right to not forgive.” (page 40)
Once Rodney has established the well-defined teaching about forgiveness, he explains the specifics of personally inviting Jesus to give us grace to forgive and become free. We ask this as a blessing and gift from God, and are set free from those who offend us – or even torment us.
Every follower of Jesus should know Jesus’ heart and words about forgiveness. Our world is filled with offenses – and those who take advantage of them.
This is an awesome, brief, clear book!
Dave and Burnadette