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July 21, 2024

John 17:11 Now I am departing the world; I am leaving them behind and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them and care for them—all those you have given me—so that they will be united just as we are.

John 17:20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. 21My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.

  • The enemy of unity is Unforgiveness

We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it. —C. S. Lewis

“Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” —Anne Lamott

Matthew 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, `Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ [39] But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. [40] And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. [41] If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

  • When someone offends you – react God’s way and not the world’s way.

Proverbs 19:11 A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to
overlook an offense.

Ask yourself these questions:
- Is there any validity to what they said?
- Can I laugh at my own mistakes?
- Do I care more about what God thinks than others?

Matthew 5:23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, [24] leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

  • What do I do when someone offends me?

Matthew 18:15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 

“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” —Corrie Ten Boom

Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

  • The expectation is limitless forgiveness.

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. —C. S. Lewis

To forgive is to set the prisoner free, and then discover the prisoner was you. —Anonymous