Doing self a favor by seeking forgiveness and forgiven others.

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“Cannot but forgive.”

A man who has been forgiven by God cannot but forgive those who want, need and ask for forgiveness.

Only one who does not know by personal experience the forgiveness of God is unable to forgive. Not to forgive is the to display the power of the darkness and the kind of spirit governs that man’s life. To deny forgiveness is the absence of the life given grace of Jesus in you the hope of glory.

Forgiveness is not only unilateral but required from a follower of Jesus who pray for those who caused him pain and death. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Part of knowing how to pray is to forgive from the heart and say it with the mouth, ”Forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

There is a subtle confusion in Christendom on this matter of forgiveness.
Just like the prayer of Jesus on the cross they are spoken clearly to God on behalf of those who do not know what they do. In the same way our prayers for those who have sinned against us ends the moment that in Christlikeness we pray for them to be forgiven as a result of our intercessory prayers.

We, as well as Jesus might not live long enough to see if our prayer of forgiveness has been accepted, received and embraced in effectual gratitude and thanksgiving. It is not for us to know the fruit of our labors, lest we might develop a craving for credit, honor and glory, which is food for God that could sour the stomach of the servant.

I realized of course that it would be nice to see a person free from bondage and embracing joyfully the peace of forgiveness and reconciliation but it is not indispensable to see the result of our Labor for the Lord.

Just as the Cathedrals of Italy and Spain were built in the space of time of hundreds of years, so is our labor for the Lord that takes generations that those who started the work never saw the final product of their hands.

Some sow the seed, other irrigated the plant and others harvest that which they have not planted. But in the whole drama neither the sower, the one who watered or the harvester is something, but the Lord who is at work by giving growth.

“Yours is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever and ever amen.”
Therefore we can confidently and joyfully say with the saints of old. ”Salvation is of the Lord.” God was in Jesus reconciling the world unto Himself and he has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation as if God would be begging through us to all people, “to come and be reconciled with God under his mighty arms”.

“FORGIVENESS IS VERY EXPENSIVE.” No one can afford it.
Only God could pay to God such a price.
The greatest imperative need of men is to be forgiven by God.
We had to be FORGIVEN, because, 

“WE COULD NOT PAY”
“WE DID NOT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PURCHASE FORGIVENESS.”
“WE COULD NOT POSSIBLE PAY BACK OUR DEBT TO GOD.”

There is no salvation or reconciliation without forgiveness.
By embracing God’s forgiveness in Jesus we live to do nothing but to forgive. ”EMBRACE FORGIVENESS AND FORGIVE IN ONESS WITH GOD IN JESUS.”

Gerry Gutierrez