#100of365 #FaithBites #FaithJourney

Today is the 100th day of the year and the 100th scripture / faithbites posting. Thanks to all of you for your support, your comments, and following along. This has been a fun journey so far. 100 down, 265 to go. Now, onto today’s lesson.

Forgiveness. This is a word near and dear to many of us. It is at the core of our relationship with God. We sin, he forgives. It is in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).  Here is how prevalent it is in the bible.

• Forgiveness as a word is mentioned in the NIV 14 times
• Forgive appears 75 times (42 in the Old Testament and 33 in the New Testament)
• Forgiven appears 45 times (17 in the Old Testament and 28 in the New)
• Forgiving appears 7 times (6 in the Old and one in the New)
• (Stats are from Hearing God’s Voice (http://garyeugenehowell.com/hearinggodsvoice/how-many-times-is-forgiveness-mentioned-in-the-bible/)

I make mistakes all the time. Forgiveness is a frequently used word in our house. While people forgive, they don’t forget. God forgives and forgets. During our small group last week, one of my friends did the children’s message. She focused on this very concept.

She scribbled on a piece of paper. The pencil mark represented a mistake. Then she asked for forgiveness and it was granted. She then erased the mark from the paper. But if you looked, you could still see the lines and some of the smudges. This was mankind’s forgiveness. Then she took a blank piece of paper, pretended to write on it, asked God’s forgiveness, then removed it. It was still clean as it was new. God forgives and forgets.

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” – Hebrews 8:12

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” – Hebrews 12:15

“I, even I, am the One Who takes away your sins because of Who I am. And I will not remember your sins”. – Isaiah 43:25

I wish I had the power to delete the sins and transgressions of others against me. I wish I could delete my transgressions against others. To give them that clean white piece of paper. To live as if I never did those sinful things. Some events still haunt me to today. I have asked for human forgiveness and have received it. It is not forgotten but forgiven. I ask on a daily basis for heavenly forgiveness and I know through Jesus, I get that.

Are you willing to know that God forgives and forgets your sins? Are you willing to try to forgive those who trespass against you? Are you willing to try as much as possible to forget? Do you understand that others may forgive you but not forget?

I am willing and understanding (with the Help of God)