I'm Thankful for Forgiveness

Still going on with the challenge that is blessing me every day! :)

http://younghomemakers.blogspot.com

Today I'm thankful for Forgiveness.

Without forgiveness, the world would be a bleak place full of anger and revenge. Granted, parts of it are that way... but "There's a lot of love out there, you know, man?" - sorry, that's one of our favorite quotes from a fun movie we enjoy... :D *Inside joke alert* Ahem. Anyway -

Of course, the biggest, most important, breathtaking example of forgiveness is God. He forgave our sins and sent his only begotten son (Which means the only son that he begat, or came from him...) to die on the cross for our sins. And he did die. But then he rose again on the third day, completely alive and resurrected from the dead.

And while on the cross, he forgave. He took the penalty for us and died in our place. His sacrifice even wiped out sins that had not been committed yet! Our sins that we would sin over 2,000 years later.

But there's one thing we have to do to take part in that gift that he gave us by paying the price for our transgressions.

We have to accept his forgiveness.

We have to confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and that we believe in him, and ask for his forgiveness by repenting from our sins (Repent means to do a 180 and completely turn your life around, which he helps us to do) And he already gave before we asked. So it's there, waiting for us to accept. What a wonderful thing!

And once we accept the forgiveness that God is offering, we are saved from a terribly painful and horrible eternal existence.

Then, with the Lord's help, we can become more like Jesus. We can offer our own forgiveness to others who have wronged us. And we're not doing it for them. We do it for us. You can either forgive somebody for a sin they comitted against you, or you can sin yourself by carrying around a black, stinking load of bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart.

I choose to forgive! Even though it's tough. And I am so thankful for the possibility to forgive, because I have been forgiven. :)

I am thankful for forgiveness! Are you?