The first blessing is when someone offends or injures you,
they come to you and apologize and ask for forgiveness and you forgive them.
Your relationship is healed and you are able to forget the offense. The flip
side when you offend and injure someone, you go to them and ask for forgiveness
and they forgive you. You both receive the blessing. This may happen more than
once with the same two people, but every time forgiveness is offered and accepted,
the blessing is received by both parties.
This is explained by Jesus in Matthew 18:21-22 (NKJV) Then
Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against
me, and I forgive him, up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to
seventy times seven.”
The next blessings depend on whether
you are the offender or the offended. You have been offended or injured and the
guilty person does not ask for forgiveness, but you forgive them anyway. You
still receive the blessing.
Jesus commands this in Mark 11:25 (NKJV) "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against
anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your
trespasses.”
Stephen, when he was martyred, gave
us this example in Acts 7:59-60 (NKJV) And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on
God and saying, "Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud
voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said
this, he fell asleep.
The most difficult blessing is if you
offend or injure someone and ask for forgiveness but they will not forgive you.
Or perhaps there is no way to reach them to ask for forgiveness. You feel very
guilty about what you did but don’t receive the blessing of their forgiveness.
But you still receive the blessing of confessing. My prayer has often been,
“Lord, please help them to forgive me and forget the offense I committed
against them.”
The ultimate blessing is receiving
God’s forgiveness. And not only does God forgive us, but He cleanses us and
gives us peace, and best of all eternal life.
Psalm 32:1 (NKJV) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is
covered.
1 John 1:9 (NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Romans 5:1 (NKJV) Therefore, having been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:13 (NKJV) These things I have written
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you
have eternal life.
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CARL E GUSTAFSON
