TUESDAY - 5TH MARCH, 2024
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE - Olusola ADEJUMO
WHY WE SHOULD FORGIVE
Read John 8:1-11
John 8:7, KJV
"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."
You have a reason to forgive. You might have been hurt. This hurt may even be coming from your spouse - as those who mostly and deeply offend us are our integral parts and those closest to us. However, you need to forgive. A just reason will be because Christ commands it (Lk.6:37). Meanwhile, God is set to convince you with yet another reason to forgive.
When this woman was caught in the very act of adultery and brought to Jesus, condemnation of a sort was being expected of the scribes and pharisees to be meted to her. Though they came to tempt Jesus as to see if He'll rubbish what Moses had commanded to do as to have a wherewithal to hold Him; Jesus, ever leading his foe in wit answered thus, "he who has not sinned among you, let him cast the first stone."
Except those elders will become hypocrites just then, which offcourse is most difficult for them to do, [for they know they have not been walking in blameless or sinless perfection]; they'd lied. Like any Christian, they have stumbled one way or the other and have erred. Even if they have been forgiven and their sins wiped off, it didn't still cancel the fact that they were once debtors who were forgiven. This thought should be in all of us that we were once debtors - sinners who were forgiven and translated into the kingdom of His beloved Son and then believers who receive pardon whenever they err. Your own error might anyway not have been that public but that doesn't justify your grinning at another because yours was a secret sin. Jesus was saying, "if you once fell or stumbled at sin and were all forgiven, should you be here advocating for the death of another? In essence, He was asking them, "what justifies you over her?You were not killed in your own day and in your own time when you erred but were pardoned and here you are, seeking justification and the hand of judgement against another." I say to you, "any of you who has not sinned should cast the first stone."
Obviously, all of them became paralyzed, immobile, dropping the stones with which they thought they'd execute judgement on this woman and leaving one by one from the eldest to the youngest. The Spirit is saying, "if you have received mercy, you should show mercy." As a matter of fact, you'll be held up in judgement by God if you've been an object of the mercy of God and you're refusing to do likewise to men when you have the power of judgement/pardon over them. When my younger ones erred and I pursued them around to measure to them as they've measured to me, my father would say in those old days, "let it go." If I insisted, he'll say, "but you did just that during your growing up years." At times, he might say," you even did more than that." What was he hinting at? The fact that I should forgive because I've once received mercy.
Christ once related the parable of a man who owes his lord. His Lord commanded that he and his household be sold to clear the debt. However, he pleaded and was forgiven by him. Shockingly, this same man on leaving the king's court sees another servant who owes him and holds tenaciously to him to pay up. Has he forgotten that he himself had just obtained mercy as an object of mercy? Why should he be this chronic, unthinking and unforgiving? It took not long before he was reported for unforgiveness by other servants and so taking in by the king (Matt.18:23-25). That's the judgement and end of all who have once received mercy but who refuse to give to others. Expressly, Jesus says, "blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (Matt.5:7). If you've not been receiving mercy, you probably want to check whether you've been sowing seeds of mercy. In the academia, there are lecturers who are not merciful. They behave as if they become all by their effort without mercy having worked for them at some point. They never recall that a mouth once spoke to advocate for their causes also. If that was not done, they might be nowhere today. Now, they are the ones making life difficult for students they should show mercy to without compromising the ethics and set standards of their profession. God will visit you and mete to you like he meted to that forgiven but unforgiven servant.
Look, God is our model. If He forgives us, we should forgive. Even Christ cries, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Lk.23:34). Imagine Jesus still praying for His offenders and persecutors. You might claim your own offender was in his own right senses but that ain't still a justification because you've always received mercy yourself. God is not telling us to do what He has not already done for you. He's not the pharisees who command and won't lift a finger at the burden (Matt. 23:4). We err many times but He keeps forgiving us. As a matter of fact, He made provision for us in the blood of Jesus that we may be cleansed when we err. For the Bible says, "...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sins (I John 1:7)" and "if any man doth sin [acknowledging the fact that we can err], we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, He's the propitiation for our sins [as believers] and also for the whole world" (I John 2:1-2). Did you see that?
So, if you're reading this, saying you won't forgive him or her, you'll be putting a barrier to God forgiving you also. However, a question God is asking you today is, "if you have not sinned [and ever forgiven before], be the first to cast the first stone [start judging or start the process of judging right away].
PRAYER: Lord, I surrender all at your feet. I let go that I may gain you always. I forgive and I'm cured of whatsoever sickness or affliction unforgiveness has opened me up to.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Numbers 2:1-3:51, Mark 11:27-12:17, Psalm 47:1-9, Proverbs 10:24-25
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