Pure Heart of Forgiveness
The word "forgiveness" is common among Christians. Many of us are familiar enough to quote what the Bible says about it. However, it is still one of the hardest things for us all to do. When we offend or cause harm to others, we immediate quote the Bible and want to be forgiven right now! But when someone offends us, we hold on to the resentment to keep “one in the bank” for later. In other words, we use the offense as a sense of power over the offender to control the relationship for as long as possible. On the other hand, if we don’t hold on to the offense until we get “justice,” we will never forgive the offender. The problem with the power struggle is pride. Pride and ego are at the center of almost every long-term quarrel. Think about it; If you take out the pride in every disagreement, and put love for the other person ahead of your pride, how much argument do you have left? In Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV) we read, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandmen