Spiritual Thoughts

  F orgivness is the well from which we draw the water to wash others' feet. ~ D. Siler   Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.   ~ Luke 12:37

F orgiveness is not an occasional act, it is an constant attitude. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.   L et all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:31-32

  F orgiveness is the scent that the rose leaves on the heel that crushes it. ~ Unknown   A nd I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise sin on the head, and sin shall bruise him on the heel. God has rescued us through His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ~ Genesis 3:15 with Colossians 1:13-14

  T he best thing to give to your enemy  is forgiveness; to an opponent - tolerance; to a friend - your heart; to your child - a good example; to a father - respect; to your mother - love; to your yourself - value; to all men - compassion. ~ Francis Maitland Balfour (amended) I n all things show yourselves to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, with dignity. ~ Titus 2:7

  M istakes are never the end of the line  with You, God.  Thank you for your  forgiveness, the ultimate eraser. ~ Unknown   I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgression  to the LORD,"  and  You forgave the guilt of my sin. ~ Psalm 32:5

  F orgiveness creates space for a  new tomorrow. Forgiving others grants you peace. ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie   T hen Peter came and said to Jesus, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you "up to seven times," BUT 'up to seventy times seven.'" ~ Matthew 18:22

  F orgiveness is not a whitewashing of the past. Forgiveness is declaring a new beginning to create space for a joyful present and future. ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie   F or He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ~ Colossians 1:13-14

Friday Tale - The Sands of Forgiveness: A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert.  During some point of the journey they had an argument, and  one friend slapped the other one in the face.  The one who got slapped was hurt,  but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.   They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.   After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.   The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"   The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, ...

F orgiveness means it finally becomes  unimportant   that you hit back.... If you keep hitting back, you stay trapped in the nightmare. ~ Anne Lamott  C ondemn not, and you will not be condemned; F orgive, and you will be forgiven.  ~ Luke 6:37

F orgiveness is not a matter of exonerating people who have hurt you. They may not deserve exoneration.  Forgiveness means cleansing your soul of the bitterness.... What is past is past and there are perhaps no sadder people than the men and women who have a grievance against the world because of something happened years ago, and have let that memory sour their view of life ever since. ~ Harold S. Kushner  P ut on therefore....forbearing one another, and  forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any;  even as the Lord forgave you, so also do you .....  ~ Colossians 3:12

F orgiveness is a gift you give yourself. ~ Suzanne Somers  I f we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  ~ 1 John 1:9

T he degree to which we understand the   depth of our own forgiveness is the    degree to which we'll forgive others. ~Unknown B lessed are the merciful    for they shall receive mercy.  ~Matthew 5:7

One mistake does not have to   rule a person's entire life. -J. Meyer  If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,  O Lord, who could stand? BUT with you there is forgiveness, that   You may be feared.  I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope. -Psalm 130:3-5

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." - Mahatma Gandhi Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. -Paul Boeseol He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14