Reconciliation
Watching a playoff game or world series and cheering for our favorite team... Life is exciting as we desperately hope that our team plays well and the other team falls apart. We like to win and we like our team to win. In many ways we live our lives through the success or failure of our favorite team. A perfect example is the joy or elation in the days after the win, or the discouragement and frustration after the loss. As people we respond in much the same way to our disputes and problems with others. The only difference is that we view the conflict as us versus them and we are desperate for a win.
In seeking a resolution to conflicts we must come to a point of reconciliation. People can hang on to the hurts and forget to move to forgiveness. The problem with this is that internalized bitterness does not harm the other person it only kills you slowly from the inside out. Bitterness can lead to isolation and even unexplained health problems. In our twisted thinking we hold on to a grudge in hope of pridefully gaining the upper hand and winning, but it does not work.
The solution to bitterness is forgiveness. When we forgive we are able to show grace that is undeserved in the face of the wrongs done against us. When we forgive we are able to display, in a small way, what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. Our sin did not stop God from sending Jesus to pay for our sin (Romans 5:8). Instead, God offered forgiveness and restoration to us even though we were the ones who had sinned and walked away from Him. We can be imitators of Christ by practicing grace filled forgiveness even when others do not seek reconciliation just as God forgave us.
So you may think that this is an impossible way to win. That is correct because it is a completely opposite way to think about winning. God’s desire for us is to get rid of all forms of hate and completely forgive (Ephesians 4:31-32). So how do we do this? Ephesians 4:32 tells us to forgive the same way that Christ forgave us. That means forgiveness is given full of grace and without limits that seeks a restoration of right relationships. When we do this we finally realize that winning is found in forgiveness. We have the capacity to forgive because we have been forgiven and understand what forgiveness is. Our role is not to reconcile the other person to us, although that may be a byproduct, but to reconcile them to Christ (1 Corinthians 5:14-21). True forgiveness is a win because it leads to reconciliation.
jethrotools.org kg2020
Watching a playoff game or world series and cheering for our favorite team... Life is exciting as we desperately hope that our team plays well and the other team falls apart. We like to win and we like our team to win. In many ways we live our lives through the success or failure of our favorite team. A perfect example is the joy or elation in the days after the win, or the discouragement and frustration after the loss. As people we respond in much the same way to our disputes and problems with others. The only difference is that we view the conflict as us versus them and we are desperate for a win.
In seeking a resolution to conflicts we must come to a point of reconciliation. People can hang on to the hurts and forget to move to forgiveness. The problem with this is that internalized bitterness does not harm the other person it only kills you slowly from the inside out. Bitterness can lead to isolation and even unexplained health problems. In our twisted thinking we hold on to a grudge in hope of pridefully gaining the upper hand and winning, but it does not work.
The solution to bitterness is forgiveness. When we forgive we are able to show grace that is undeserved in the face of the wrongs done against us. When we forgive we are able to display, in a small way, what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. Our sin did not stop God from sending Jesus to pay for our sin (Romans 5:8). Instead, God offered forgiveness and restoration to us even though we were the ones who had sinned and walked away from Him. We can be imitators of Christ by practicing grace filled forgiveness even when others do not seek reconciliation just as God forgave us.
So you may think that this is an impossible way to win. That is correct because it is a completely opposite way to think about winning. God’s desire for us is to get rid of all forms of hate and completely forgive (Ephesians 4:31-32). So how do we do this? Ephesians 4:32 tells us to forgive the same way that Christ forgave us. That means forgiveness is given full of grace and without limits that seeks a restoration of right relationships. When we do this we finally realize that winning is found in forgiveness. We have the capacity to forgive because we have been forgiven and understand what forgiveness is. Our role is not to reconcile the other person to us, although that may be a byproduct, but to reconcile them to Christ (1 Corinthians 5:14-21). True forgiveness is a win because it leads to reconciliation.
jethrotools.org kg2020