2026-04-17
Good morning, Dear Ones,
There is nothing that our loving God wants more than for each of us to confess our sins and repent. After there has been a grudge held against another person, He wants it to be resolved, so that the Holy Spirit can bring about transformation and growth in us. Regardless of whether the other party(s) in this relationship are willing to forgive, we, ourselves, should forgive. This goes directly to God’s promise in EZK 36: 26-27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” By humbling ourselves in this way, the Holy Spirit moves forward our transformation into compassionate, trustworthy, and mature believers. 2 COR 5: 17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Recovering from grudge-holding takes time, patience, and diligence. It is much like the growth of trust in that way. In the final analysis, God’s will for us the most important motivation we have. Christ’s words in LK 6: 37 are revealing. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Yes, it’s true that every one of us is a sinner. But through Christ’s sacrificial atonement on the cross, we are forgiven for eternity. This doesn’t mean we now have license to continue with our sins. Instead, it is God’s way of giving us that fresh start for which we have been looking. Remember RO 7: 6, “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not the old way of the written code.”
Can we forgive? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” PHIL 4: 13, “I can do all things through Him, Who gives me strength.” We were created with the capacity to put out evil from hearts and open them to the power given to us by the Holy Spirit. The question is whether we are willing to put God’s will for us first over any other motivation. Having said this, we will experience a gradual transformation through His intervention in our lives. The apostle James writes, in JAS 1: 19-21, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Word should actually be capitalized here, as JN 1: 1 uses it to denote our Lord Jesus. In my mind, this is a direct reference to that long-hidden mystery now revealed, “Christ in us, the hope of glory” [COL 1: 27].
Once we have contritely humbled ourselves before God in this process, we are restored in our relationships with Him and others as if God had given us a “spiritually cleansing shower”. Families that have been split, business relationships, and other interpersonal relationships that have formally gone awry are sometimes restored. Surely our relationship with God is restored. The destruction of ourselves by grudge-holding disappears and can be replaced with self-respect, healing, and reverence for our Creator. That kind of restoration allows for forward progress in our spiritual maturity and assurance of eternal life. 2 COR 5: 18, “All this is from God, Who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” While we can’t control what other people do or feel, we can certainly be in control of ourselves.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your mighty throne to appeal to You for Your help in guiding us to forgiveness. You have told us in, EPH 4: 31-32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander, along with every for of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” There is no refuting the wisdom of this advice when one considers his eternal life. We understand that forgiveness is a principle that must become a habit. Replacement of bad habits must be established gradually, step by step. Eventually, replacing old negative attitudes about other people with new godly ones will happen. We will consult the Scriptures for Your perspective, Lord, in using the power You give us through the Holy Spirit to accomplish this goal. We offer You our praise, thanksgiving and honor for the blessings of Your wisdom. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit directs me to write about restoration next week. We are urged in so many ways to release the stony evil from our hearts while at the same time opening them to the Holy Spirit. Of course, this process requires us to humble ourselves before Him and to be faithfully obedient to His teaching, as seen in the Scriptures. Moreover, we must understand that He urges us to get into the habit of prayerfully visiting Him often “under the shelter of His wings” [PS 91: 1-2]. Our God loves us and wants what is in our best eternal interests. He wants as many of us as possible to spend a blissful fellowship with Him in eternity. Praise and thanksgiving be to Him!
Grace be with you always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2026. All Rights Reserved.
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