This Easter Season.....A Season of Forgiveness

"If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done” (Matthew 6:14-15 ).

This Easter season is indeed a good time to reflect on the many promises of God. For us here, God's promise of forgiveness is very important to remember. He tells us 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).

Jesus prayed, “give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:11-12). This is a well known prayer, and immediately afterward Jesus said, “ For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14-15 ).

As we reflect on the teachings of Jesus Christ, we see a direct relationship between our capacity to forgive others and God's willingness to forgive us. When we pray, “Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” do we really want God to forgive us in the same way we show forgiveness to others? This would be our true prayer only if we knew there was no unforgiveness in our heart toward others.

Jesus reminds us, “Her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little" (Luke 7:47). Clearly, the ability to forgive stems from the ability to love, and we love “.....because He [Jesus] first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

.....And just in case you are reading this post and you don't really know or understand who Jesus Christ is. We'd like to tell you that He is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Jesus rose from the dead and now He lives in heaven with God His Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life -- of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me" (John 14:6).

God reaches out in love to you and wants you to be His child. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name" (John 1:12). You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to your life as your Lord and Savior.

If you believe this, and you want to accept Jesus Christ today, you can ask Him to be your Savior and Lord by praying a prayer like this:

"Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always."

If you have just prayed this prayer or you have any questions about what you have just read please feel free to contact us on houseofvirtue@gmail.com