daddy4ms

I am continuing through the book, The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glenn.  Today's post ties in well with Pastor Brad's sermon on January 27th on forgiveness.  Here are some thoughts regarding forgiveness: "Forgiveness is how we get unstuck.  Anger, left unattended, becomes bitterness. Grudges, carefully nursed over the years, produce a hard heart. Our pain blinds us to the needs of those around us and isolates us from others." "First, making someone else hurt doesn't take away your pain." "One of the things that makes following Jesus so difficult is that we are never given permission to disobey, regardless of the circumstances." "Our God is so good and so powerful he can produce good out of even the worst things people do to us." "You can hold on to your anger, or you can hold on to Jesus, but you can't hold on to both. Forgiveness is how we let go of anger and hurt to get a firm hold on the "yes" of God offered...

Bitterness.  Unforgiveness.  Simple words, but hard to change.  Are you struggling with bitterness?  Do you need to forgive someone?  As I was reading The Resolution for Men by the Kendrick brothers this week, they shared some helpful thoughts and quotes.  I will share some of them below. "Bitterness can hold any good man down.  Guilt can turn the mightiest men into cowards. Both of these spiritual burdens result from failing to respond wisely to failure--bitterness from not forgiving those who have wronged you, and guilt from sinning against God and others...without making it right." "Bitterness does more damage in the life where it is stored than the one on whom it is poured." "Forgiveness is pardoning a legitimate debt that is owed. Your forgiveness will not release them from the consequences of their sin. But it will release you from the burden, weight, and pain of having to worry about holding them accountable yourself for their sins." "Forgiven...