April 26th

Who's Being Held?

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God...Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Colossians 3:1,13

I love the show The Biggest Loser. It's incredible to watch the transformation happen in people's lives as they lose all the weight that has been dragging them down for so long.

Many Christians need to become big losers, too, but I'm not talking about their weight.

I am talking about how we can hold on to things that weigh us down, imprisoning us and keeping us from the life and freedom God wants for us.

In my opinion, nothing keeps more Christians in prison than unforgiveness. We need to understand that forgiveness is not so much about our pasts as it is about our future. If we think about where we're going, then we need to think about what we get to take with us.

Unforgiveness doesn't get to stick around Heaven, and do you know why? Because Heaven is where God's ultimate best for us is finally fulfilled. It's not like our past doesn't still exist. The fact remains that hurtful things, even devastating things, have happened. But unforgiveness has no place in Heaven because it keeps us from God's best.

The good news here is that we can begin to experience that blessing from God now, because we do not need to wait for Heaven to forgive.

Maybe you're thinking, But if I forgive the person who hurt me, doesn't that mean that I'm saying what they did was okay?

No, you're not. What they did will never be okay. But forgiveness does not mean what they did is okay; it means that you are surrendering it to the Lord. You're letting Him be the judge, letting Him bring justice instead of clinging to that for yourself.

Ultimately, for our sakes, forgiveness means freedom. Our unforgiveness does nothing to the person who hurt us; it doesn't hurt or punish them in the least. And it doesn't put them in prison; it puts us in prison.

Let go of your unforgiveness today and let Jesus heal your hurts. He died so that you could be whole and forgave you so that you could be free.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You for forgiving me! You know how badly I have been hurt, and You know how it has kept me in prison. But I want to be free! I choose today to forgive everyone who has hurt me, and I trust You to heal me and set me free.

Amen