Tag: forgiving others

Bible Verse of The Day – 8-28-14

Matthew 6:15 (NKJV) 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness is a topic that could be taught on every day of the week and still it would not be often enough.

We all need to learn to forgive more often and more readily. It’s too easy to hold onto things and harbor unforgiveness in our hearts.

Everyone who is reading this has been hurt by someone. Everyone.

There isn’t a single person who hasn’t had something traumatic happen to them at the hands of another person. Some of us may have had some major hurts, while others might only be minor. But we have all been hurt.

The question now is; “What will we do with it?”.

We have two choices. Hold onto it and become angry and bitter. Or forgive the person, give it over to God and move on with our lives. There is no middle ground.

Some people are much quicker to forgive and move on. A lot of it is related to our personalities. But regardless of our personality type, God has told us that we must forgive if we want to be forgiven.

That may seem harsh, but I like the fact that God doesn’t beat around the bush. He lays it out before us and says “the choice is yours”.

I will admit that this is an area where God has had to do considerable work in me. I hate injustice and I hate when something goes unresolved. So when someone hurts me, it’s a lot tougher for me to simply lay it down and move on.

I’d rather try to fix it and work everything out to make it “perfect”. But this is real life and not everyone wants to resolve problems. Some people are happier to hold onto anger and let it turn into bitterness.

But if God says we need to forgive, then we need to forgive. Period. We need to lay our own preferences aside and do what we’re told by our heavenly Father.

We have been given much regarding our own forgiveness. God saw fit to forgive us for every sin we ever committed when we asked Him to. Therefore, we have definitely been given much. So if we have been given much, then much is required of us.

Luke 12:48 (NKJV) 48 …For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

 401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 7-15-14

(Luke 23:34 NKJV)  Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Jesus set a perfect example for us as to how we should be toward all people; Forgiving.

I used to have an office position. My boss’s father would come in every day. He would come in and tell nasty jokes, using vulgar language, knowing that I didn’t find them humorous at all. And they were very offensive. He would laugh, thinking it was funny.

I used to sit at my desk and cringe every time he would say the Lord’s name in vain. I would let him say what he wanted, and share the nasty jokes and the bad language, but when it came to the Lord’s name in vain I would speak up in a kind way and say to him, “why do you have to use His name that way? He didn’t do anything to hurt you.” He would just glare at me and not say a word.

This went on for years. I was kind to this man, no matter what. I felt compassion for him even though I never saw any change in his behavior. The day came when it was time to move on from that job.

As years went by I heard that this man was in the hospital. Not knowing for sure if he would want me to visit him, I felt I needed to go. So I went to the hospital. There, lying in the bed, he looked old and weak.

As I walked into the room, I jokingly said, “What are you doing here?” He looked up and said to me very seriously, “I’m dying.” I said “you are, huh? And where are you going, Heaven or Hell?” Looking scared, he said, “I don’t know.”

I asked him if he would like to hear a story and he very calmly said, “Yes.” I knew it was my turn to share Jesus Christ. That day, the man who was so haughty, loud, obnoxious and rude to me and my Savior, accepted and received Him into His heart.  He was healed and went home from the hospital and lived many more years.

In order for that man to ever hear me or the story I had to share with him, I had to be able to hear him, to forgive him and pray for him, in spite of the things he did to me.

Forgive them, for they do not know what they do.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 12-27-13

(Luke 6:37 NKJV)  “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

We all do things that we need forgiveness for.  The New Year is approaching and we will all be pondering on what we would like to see changed in our own personal lives.

There are tons of things I’m sure we can come up with. Some of us will start eating healthier, some will start exercising more regularly and others may want to start a savings account or a new budget, etc.

One of the things that came to me this morning is that even though all these things are good for us, and it’s great to go into the New Year wanting to learn from the mistakes we’ve made, let us not forget the things that effect our heart and our walk with God.

We can all agree on one thing; we all do things we need forgiveness for. Doesn’t It bring such a relief when we pray and ask God for His forgiveness and He freely gives it to us? It feels so good!

But this verse also tells us to forgive, as well. It’s not just about God forgiving us. We play an important part in this too! If we hold onto things and don’t forgive people on our end it effects our hearts, our relationship with God, our health and our relationships with others.

Let’s all go into this new year together, pondering in our hearts, and asking if there is someone that stands out that has hurt us or stolen from us? Or maybe there’s someone who said something that hurt us or we learned something about someone and it has caused us to be angry towards them. Maybe someone we love and care for deeply disappointed us in their decisions, etc.

Whatever it may be, instead of holding onto to the pain and hurtful situation, let’s make a choice in our hearts today to let it go, to forgive that person and lay it down, handing it over to God and trusting Him to take care of it. Let’s enter into the New Year with forgiveness toward those that have been hurtful.

Forgiveness starts in our heart. It is a sincere acknowledging and wanting to let go, and not hold onto the hurt or anger any longer. When we do this sincerely, from our heart, we will be free. When we do this, not only do we forgive someone but God forgives us for things we’ve done as well.

The hurt may take some time to heal, but it will heal if we let it.

So let’s enter into this New Year with a heart of forgiveness, give it all to God, let go of the past and enter into the NEW things that God has for us!  Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 1-19-13

(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?” {22} Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven“.

We think we can hold grudges against people because they have done us wrong at times. But, this isn’t true. If we want the truth and we want to move on in grow in Christ, then we have to forgive those that have done us wrong.

Today, we are speaking to all us who have been upset and angry at someone in our lives, that have caused problems or hurt us in one way or another. Someone that has spoken bad at times against us or to us, maybe even spread false rumors about us and made people look at us in a different light.

It’s us that needs to forgive those people. No-one is making us feel anger or bitterness inside except our own selves. We are holding onto what they have done and not forgiving them and letting God heal us.

We need healing today. If we want healing, we need to forgive first and let God heal our brokenness.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-377-5400

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-20-12

(Proverbs 10:12 NKJV)  Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.

I want to touch base on something that God has really been driving home in my life over the past year or more. And He has been teaching me how to really put it into practice each day.

Love conquers all. This is a fact and I am seeing it more and more, and I’m truly beginning to understand the truth end depth of this statement.

Love disarms angry people. Love brings peace into stressful situations. Love forgives when people might not think forgiveness is merited.

You see, we all sin… each and every one of us. There are some who choose to hang onto the sins of others and wave them like flags for everyone to see. There’s something satisfying in this for some people.

These types of people thrive on tearing people down to make themselves look good, and it breaks the heart of God.

And then there are those who choose to love and to forgive, and this pleases God!

(1 Peter 4:8 NKJV)  And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Do you know someone who has sinned? Maybe they even sinned against you.

Love them. It won’t necessarily be easy to do, but God has commanded us to love.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 9-17-12

(Mat 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?” {22} Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Forgiveness; it’s critical to us whether we’re receiving it or giving it. Many times we tend to look at forgiveness and think that being forgiven is the best thing that could ever happen to us. But being the one doing the forgiving is equally important, or maybe even more important!

When someone forgives us, we always feel better, knowing that they are not holding something we did wrong over our heads. This is good.

But when we forgive someone for something they have done against us, we are doing something more important for ourselves than we realize. Yes… we are not holding a wrong against another person. And that’s good!

But what’s even more important is that we are releasing ourselves from anger and bitterness that we could be holding onto against that other person.

Anger and bitterness can eat us alive from the inside out, if we let them. But Jesus has told us that we must forgive. In fact, He has told us in Matthew 6:14-15 that if we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive us!

So if you have ever wondered if it’s required for us to forgive others, there’s your answer! Forgive and move on, and let God take care of your situation.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-9-12

(Mat 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?” {22} Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Jesus surely makes it clear to us that we are to forgive, no matter how many times we’re required to do so.

It is in the forgiveness that we offer to others that we are, in turn, forgiven and freed from bondage. Many types of bondage, like sickness, disease and torment can stem from us withholding forgiveness from others.

A lack of forgiveness on our part can cause us to be bitter & mean, and simply not have God’s peace within ourselves.

When someone does something terrible to us, forgiving them doesn’t mean we have to go and be their best friend after we forgive them. We don’t necessarily even need to be around them. We just need to forgive them and move on.

When Jesus asks us to forgive someone for something that they have done deliberately to us, it is for our own good. It is something we need to come to within ourselves. Forgiveness brings freedom, peace and victory in our lives!

If you are carrying unforgiveness in your heart today, this is the day you need to ask God to help you get rid of it. There is FREEDOM waiting for you.

Let it go today and live in PEACE!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-377-5400

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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