For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.     Romans 6:23 NKJV

I try not to concern myself with material things I can’t afford. Praise God He takes good care of me and has blessed me well beyond what I deserve. But there are some things I definitely cannot afford. I can’t afford not to tithe. There have been times when giving my tithe would mean I would have to go without, but I gave it anyway. God provided for me and blessed me even more.

The other thing I really can’t afford is anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. I have made some serious mistakes in my life. I have committed sin that I am not proud of and wish I could undo. I have had to lay these things at God’s feet and plead with Him to forgive me. We are told in 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

I trust in this, but there are times when the devil brings my forgiven sins to mind and tries to make me feel guilty and unworthy of God’s love. But Psalm 103:12 tells us once God forgives our sin, He removes it from us as far as the east is from the west.

Now this sounds like a pretty good deal, and you may be thinking what is the catch? Well, I’m glad you asked because there is one thing it is critical for you to understand. God promises to love us unconditionally meaning no matter what God loves us. But when it comes to forgiveness there is a condition placed on God’s willingness to forgive our sins.

The catch is, we must be willing to forgive others who have sinned against us. When Jesus was teaching us how to pray, He said in Matthew 6:12 that we should pray for God to forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us. And He went on to say in verses 14-15, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you.”

I can’t afford not to forgive those who have hurt me. I can’t afford not to give my anger over to God. I can’t afford to not leave vengeance to Him. Why? Because I have sinned. And if you want to know the truth you can’t afford it either. We are told in Romans 3:23 all sin and fall short of the glory of God.

So, no matter how much of a super Christian you may think you have become, you still have sin in your life. We are all works in progress. We will not be completed and perfected until we reach heaven that is if we reach heaven. We must be forgiven of our sin in order to be made holy and perfect and spend eternity with God.

I want to leave you with this thought. So, someone sinned against you. They did you wrong. They hurt your feelings and upset you. If they don’t repent of what they have done God will deal with them severely and they may very well spend eternity in hell. If you don’t forgive them, God won’t forgive you of your sins. So, this means you will join them in hell. Is it worth it?

If you forgive them, even if they don’t ask, God forgives you of your sin when you repent and ask for His forgiveness. When you forgive them and let it go, the rest is between them and God.

None of us are perfect, but we can be forgiven. We can only be forgiven, however, if we forgive others.

I can’t afford not to forgive those who have hurt me, can you?

Have a great day!