Forgiveness Sets Me Free

For me to be forgiven sets my conscience free, but regarding my past, I still suffer the consequences.  When I asked God to forgive me, I first believed that He is Truth and that his Word is righteous. Then he removed that burden, that nagging conscience and freed me from its bondage.  Knowing that, I can start again, fresh and new. Those things of the past are forgotten. . .

Now, whether I have been forgiven by man, it's not my choice.  By asking forgiveness

I have said, "Okay, I was wrong".  It's like pleading for another chance.  When rejected it hurts . . . you feel as though your own word has no value.  That whatever you commit to doing will never be regarded as anything serious and you should be looked upon as a liar. 

Trust has to be earned back.  A sense of trust was initially violated, so it must be restored.  Something has to bring the two opposing sides together. . .

The word "love” is what gets us back.  The word "love” is what regains that lost trust.  Love is that which binds us to forgive. It’s that one thing that gives the second chance.  

It calms the restless desire to be accepted . . . it pacifies us.  The hate and bitterness we had cannot fester, because God is Truth and his Word is the Truth. Then from the basis of his Word alone, love is what enables us to forgive.

Whether my victims have forgiven me or not, that decision rests upon them. First, I am accountable to my Creator.  I must see to it that I have settled with him first. Then comes man. Jesus’ ultimate command was to love. Do for your brother, as you would want him to do for you. . .