Stan Ott has some powerful words about forgiveness and mercy. I want to share some of his words with you all. The words God spoke through Stan Ott convicted me and encouraged me. I hope it does the same for you.
Here's what Stan Ott wrote:
"How do you react when a fellow Christian grieves you, deceives you, hurts you? Last week I bumped into a person who had let me down and later was upset to talk with a friend suffering because people were talking behind his back.
My own initial reaction in both cases was not very pleasant. All sorts of negative thoughts and feelings began to stir when unbidden the words of the Apostle Peter popped to mind, "Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8*
Indeed God's love covers our sins! The Hebrew word hesed is translated steadfast love, it is God's enduring love.
We demonstrate hesed love ourselves when we are tempted to retaliate, criticize or withdraw and instead we choose to respond in the spirit of, "I will never withdraw my love from you - never!" That is the love that covers a multitude of sins.
Such love is very costly to us. It cost the Lord his life on the cross! In fact it is beyond our normal human capacity to demonstrate God's hesed love. So love by faith - ask God to give you God's own hesed love for people so that God's love in you may cover the multitude of sins in your own life and in the lives of others."
Amen!
www.trinitypresbyterian.us
http://tpc-james.blogspot.com/
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