"...forgive them they know not what they do..."

Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34) WORDS OF FORGIVENESS

I am always touched by these words of Jesus, such compassion toward mankind, undeserved compassion.

I can’t understand that kind of love, in His agonizing pain and suffering thinking of me, standing in the gap before the Father for me, crying out for my forgiveness, but I want it, I need it and I totally accept it.

Without His hearts cry in obedience to the will of the Father portrayed in these words,and in His actions: His submission to the cross, there would be absolutely no Eternal hope for me or for anyone.

These words have comforted me over and over in times of confession and repentance, when needing to sense His forgiveness.

I often ask my Father to help me to pray and practice these words in my life toward those I must forgive and who desperately need His forgiveness.

This kind of forgiveness is different than the warped forgiveness we hear about and see practiced in the world, and sometimes in the church…”I will forgive but I won’t forget” “I will forgive but I don’t want a relationship” “I will forgive this, but I won’t forgive that” “I will forgive if the person asks me and I sense their repentance is real” “I will forgive if the person who sinned against me changes or makes it right”

These are just words of forgiveness, with no act or deed to follow, these are conditional forgiveness, and in my opinion, not really forgiveness at all. Real Agape forgiveness requires action and leads to salvation for mankind, and reconciliation with God and man.

This is the only kind of forgiveness that is real, and it takes understanding all we have been forgiven by God, to truly learn how to forgive others. It isn’t easy, as it wasn’t easy for Jesus, but through Christ, and because of what He did (and does), all things are possible. I am so thankful for His gift of forgiveness in my life: to know it and show it.

I don't know who is reading, but I am 100 percent sure that you need God's forgiveness, pretty sure you need to forgive yourself, or someone in your life, and you may need to ask someone to forgive you today. I pray that He will give you the strength and courage in Christ to live a life of forgiveness.