“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13)

Forgive freely as God has forgiven you!

Forgive those, especially family members, who have hurt or harmed you in any way. Forgive as God has forgiven you!

I was afraid for my big brother

When I was 10 years old, my older brother, David, who was 12, would hot-wire the pickup while our dad was at work and go for joyrides. I was afraid for him and was sure he would have an accident and be killed.

One particular time I remember begging him not to do it and tried to get between him and the truck to prevent him from leaving. But he kicked me and left me crying on the ground as he drove away. After that moment I felt differently about him and we were never close after that.  Many years went by and we rarely spoke to each other. When I did speak with him, or even thought of him for that matter, I would feel that old familiar pain of that incident of so many years earlier.

Then, while attending a conference, the speaker spoke passionately about the need to forgive others, especially family members who may have hurt us. He said unforgiveness can spill over into other relationships if not dealt with. He invited us to remember any past incidents, and then take care of them.

I remembered what happened with my brother and called him. I reminded him of the incident but he had no memory of it. I asked him to forgive me for holding a grudge against him for so many years. He wept and said, “Yes! I do forgive you, but only if you will forgive me, too?”  “Of course I will!”, I said.

A heavy weight had been lifted and I was filled with joy. After that, David and I were great friends again! It is wonderful what the power of forgiveness can do!

Eventually, David asked me to explain to him how to receive Christ. After sharing with him, he prayed to invite Christ into his life. That brought us even closer.

Reasons to forgive others

• Forgive others because it restores broken relationships

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23-24)

• Forgive others because God will then forgive you

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:14-15)

• Forgive others without limit because Jesus said that is the right thing to do

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'” (Matt. 18:21-22)

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.” (Isaiah 45:25-26)

Today is December first. Each day leading up to Christmas, I will suggest a special Christmas gift for you to give on that day, beginning with the fist one today, and ending on Christmas Day.

Today’s gift is for yourself!

This first gift is wonderful and powerful. In fact, it could even be the most important Christmas gift you will ever give to anyone because of its potential to affect not only you, but also others near you! Let me explain what I mean with the following illustration that I gleaned from years of traveling on commercial airlines. During pre-flight instructions, the flight attendant usually instructs you, (during a cabin pressure emergency), to place the oxygen mask on yourself first, then you will be in the position to help others near you. The point is, you cannot adequately help others near you while you are struggling yourself. The same thing can be said about other areas of your life.

Not easy, but necessary!

Dealing with your own issues isn't always easy, especially if you've made some big mistakes you deeply regret. You may have repented (turned away from them). You may have asked and gotten forgiveness from others you have hurt or offended, but you may not have been able to forgive yourself. And, truthfully,  if you haven't forgiven yourself, you are not in a healthy position emotionally to help others. This is where today's gift comes in.

Forgive yourself and move forward!

Today, on December first, give yourself the gift of forgiveness! That’s right, choose to forgive yourself!

Reasons to forgive yourself

• Forgive yourself because God forgave you first

When you ask for God’s forgiveness based upon Christ having already paid for your sins and your having trusted in Him as Savior and Lord, He forgives you. It is as simple as that. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

• Forgive yourself because you are a new creature in Christ

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Cor. 5:17 KJV)

• Forgive yourself because you are free to move ahead

At first, guilt can be a healthy emotion to alert you to the fact that you have made mistakes, and you need to make some necessary changes. But, if you hang on to feelings of guilt after repentance and after making needed changes, it can become an unhealthy emotion, keeping you trapped emotionally in the past, and it can keep you from moving on with your life as you should. The Bible says, “Whom the Son, sets free, is free indeed!” (John 8:36)

• Forgive yourself because failing to do so will blind you spiritually

Not forgiving yourself will cause you to see things through the eyes of guilt, shame and condemnation. It will ruin your faith, and cause you to go blind spiritually: "But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Peter 2:9)

 Follow Jesus' example

So, just as Jesus Christ forgave you, do the same and be kind and tenderhearted with forgiveness to yourself. Then, go do the same for others!

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32)

“Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matt. 10:8b)

God's love has been poured into our hearts! 

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Rom. 5:3-5)

Character

Character is defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. Character is one of the most important things you have. It is what people see in you, what people say about you, and what defines you. It’s what people will say about you after you die.

A person of good character walks in integrity

“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways." (Prov. 28:6)

“O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.” (Psalm 15:1-5)

A person of good character treats others well

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." (Col. 3:12-15)

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35

Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people. - Dennis Prager

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phil. 4:8)

Guard your heart! 

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:23)

The Bible says that “we are what we think about.” (Prov. 23:7). That is why it is important to be careful what we put into our minds; the kind of TV shows and movies we watch, what we read and even the musical lyrics we listen to. It all becomes a part of our thinking and affects us negatively or positively. What goes into our mind will eventually affect our opinions, our attitudes, and our behavior in some way. You have to be careful to guard what goes in because everything you do flows from it. (Prov. 4:23)

Take captive every thought

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)

Think about good things!

You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for what you think, because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think. - Marianne Williamson

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” (Psalm 103:1-5)

Seven benefits to remember

Yes, we should remember God’s many wonderful benefits, and there are many! The above passage reminds us of seven of them to remember:

1)  He pardons all your iniquities.

2)  He heals all your diseases.

3)  He redeems your life from the pit.

4)  He crowns you with lovingkindness.

5)  He crowns you with compassion.

6)   He satisfies your years with good things. And,

7)  Your youth is renewed like the eagle.

These benefits are good reasons to “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.” (Psalm 103:1)

“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him!” (Isaiah 30:18

Gracious because of His covenant

“But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now.” (2 Kings 13:23)

Gracious and slow to anger

“The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.” (Psalm 145:8)

Gracious and righteous

“Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.” (Psalm 116:5)

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 6:13)

 Our hearts sprinkled clean!

“Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22)

He guards what You have entrusted!

“For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” (2 Tim. 12)

God has given us eternal life!

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (2 John 5:11-13)

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”  (Rom. 8:16)

“He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.” (Isaiah 40:29)

“Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.” (Psalm 41:1)

“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10)

“God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” (1 Cor. 1:27-29)

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26)

Thank God for His grace!

“I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:4)

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes. 5:18)

The story of Thanksgiving  

Modernists have tried to rewrite our history to make this simply a secular harvest festival. But since the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving in 1621 to the day Abraham Lincoln made it an official holiday in 1864, Thanksgiving has totally been a day to thank and praise Almighty God for His blessings.

The colonists, throughout America’s early history, observed Thanksgiving at different times, remembering the godly example of the Pilgrims. In 1789, Congressman Elias Boudinot proposed a resolution requesting that President George Washington recommend a day of public thanksgiving and prayer for the entire country. Washington approved the request, declaring November 26, 1789, as the day of national thanksgiving.

Seventy-four years later, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of every November as a national day of thanksgiving. Read his proclamation of the first official Thanksgiving, and see if this was intended to be just a harvest celebration. As you read, remember that this took place during the height of the Civil War.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him, for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

This is not the writing of someone who is prescribing a secular holiday. This is an all-out proclamation that everything good came as the result of God’s favor. America was founded as a Christian nation, and we need to remember from whence we have fallen (Rev. 2:5). Forgetting where we have come from will keep us from getting to where we need to go.

I’m thankful for what God has done in this nation. We all should be. We need to remember what exalted us in the first place.

Give thanks with all your heart! 

“I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” (Psalm 9:1)