FORGIVEN
 
Psalm 103:8-148 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, aboundingin love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His angerforever; 10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay usaccording to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are abovethe earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; 12 as far asthe east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressionsfrom us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lordhas compassion on those who fear Him; 14 for He knows how we areformed, He remembers that we are dust.
 
Forgiveness is something we've all had to deal with. It's not easy to forgive someone who has really hurt you badly. I imagine Corrie ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place, struggled with forgiving the people who ran the Nazi concentration camps. Because she had chosen to hide Jewish people from the Nazis, she was imprisoned in horrible barracks, had to eat stuff that remotely resembled food, and endured harsh labor. Worst of all, members of Corrie's family died in the camp. If Corrie could forgive her captors after all that, surely wecan forgive others who have hurt us.
 
Luke 17:4 says, "If he sins against you seven times a day, and seventimes comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."Forgiveness flows from a forgiven heart.

I had a friend who had done some hurtful things to me, and one day I prayed, "Lord, help me to love this person and not have any bad feelings toward her. Forgive me for the times I have." I can't explain the peace and freedom God gave me after I prayed those words!
 
Maybe you're the one who has done something hurtful to another. If the Lord shows you that you have, do what's necessary to make things right. God will help you do it and you'll be glad you did!
 
When David had some unconfessed sin in his life, he said, "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away" (Psalm 32:3). Then he confessed his sins to the Lord and God forgave him (v.5). Afterward, he said, "You will . . . surround me with songs of deliverance" (v.7) and "rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous!" (v.11).

Just as the Lord forgives our sins, let's forgive others and ask for forgiveness from others. Then let's go praise the Lord!  --Amy Koepp, Wisconsin. Written by a fellow Soul Journey reader
 
DESTINATION POINTS
 
* Is there someone I need to forgive or ask forgiveness from? What will I do to make things right?
* Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? What will I do about it?
 
LINKS
The Secret Room--The Story of Corrie ten Boom
www.soon.org.uk/true_stories/holocaust.htm
Forgiving Dad
www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2000/005/5.46.html
 
bottom line: Forgiveness sets you free!
 
soul journey