How Do You Forgive?
BY RICK WARREN —
”What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.”
2 Corinthians 5:19 (CEV)
In January 1956, five American missionaries headed to the rainforest of the eastern Amazon in Ecuador. They were making a second visit to the Huaorani tribe, which anthropologists said was the most vicious, violent society on the face of the Earth. They had a culture of killing, and studies showed 60 percent of the tribe died by homicide.
As soon as the missionaries got out of the plane, they were speared to death by members of the tribe. The brutal murders made news around the world and were on the covers of Life magazine, Time, and Newsweek. Many newspapers reported the deaths of these men, who included Nate Saint and Jim Elliot.
A couple years later, Elisabeth and Valerie Elliot, wife and daughter of Jim, and Rachel Saint, sister of Nate, moved into the Huaorani village to show love and forgiveness and minister to the people who had killed their families. Eventually, Mincaye, who was the leader of the tribe, and other men who participated in the missionary murders became Christians.
The kind of forgiveness Elisabeth Elliot, Valerie Elliot, and Rachel Saint modeled doesn’t make sense until you have been forgiven by God. So, once you’ve experienced God’s forgiveness, how do you forgive? You do the four things these women did:
Relinquish your right to get even. Romans 12:19 says, “Don’t try to get even. Let God take revenge” (CEV). Leave it up to God. He’ll take care of it, and he’ll do a much better job than you ever could.
Respond to evil with good. How can you tell when you’ve completely forgiven someone? You can actually pray for God to bless the person who hurt you. The Bible says. “Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28 NIV).
Repeat these steps as long as necessary. Peter asked Jesus in Matthew 18:21, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?” (CEV). Jesus replied, “Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!” (Matthew 18:22 CEV). Sometimes forgiveness has to be continual.
Rescue others with the Good News of God’s forgiveness. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, “God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others. What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God.”
Because you’ve been forgiven by God, he expects you to forgive other people. He will help you work through your hurt and give you the grace to forgive those who’ve hurt you.
Talk It Over:
* What do you learn from how Elisabeth and Valerie Elliot and Rachel Saint responded to the murders of their family members?
* Have you been in a situation where you’ve had to forgive someone “not just seven times, but seventy-seven times,” as Matthew 18 says? What gave you the strength to do so?
* Who in your life needs to hear God’s message of forgiveness, peace, and salvation?
Bagaimanakah Kita Mengampuni?
OLEH RICK WARREN -
”Yang kami maksud adalah bahwa Allah ada di dalam Kristus, menawarkan perdamaian dan pengampunan kepada orang-orang di dunia ini. Dan Dia telah memberikan pekerjaan kepada kami untuk membagikan pesanNya tentang perdamaian.”
2 Korintus 5:19 (Contemporary English Version/CEV)
Pada bulan Januari 1956, lima misionaris Amerika pergi ke hutan Amazon timur di Ekuador. Mereka melakukan kunjungan kedua ke suku Huaorani, yang menurut para antropolog adalah masyarakat paling jahat dan paling kejam di muka bumi. Mereka memiliki budaya membunuh, dan penelitian menunjukkan 60 persen suku tersebut meninggal karena pembunuhan.
Begitu misionaris turun dari pesawat, mereka…
Forgive Because God Forgave You
BY RICK WARREN —
”Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
You will, unfortunately, be hurt in this life. And many of those hurts will be intentional—the direct results of what people say about you or do to you. In fact, any time you read the word “forgiveness,” you likely instantly call to mind certain heartaches, hurts, and problems from your past. The memories still feel fresh because you’ve been hurt very deeply.
When you’re hurt deeply, it’s often hard to consider forgiving the perpetrators. But the Bible gives you one very important reason you need to forgive.
You forgive others because God forgave you.
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (NIV).
Thinking about how much God has forgiven you will help you be more forgiving of those who have hurt you.
The opposite is also true. If you don’t believe and accept in faith that you’ve been forgiven by God, you’ll likely have a hard time forgiving others. If that’s the case, consider whether you truly believe God has forgiven you. Talk to God about any doubts.
Think of it like this: God has completely wiped your slate clean of sin because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. All of the things you deserve to be punished for have been cleared away because God has forgiven you. As you accept this truth, you’ll find it increasingly tough to hold a grudge against someone else.
No matter what anyone does to you, you’ll never have to forgive another person more than God has already forgiven you. And he has forgiven you. That’s a promise.
Talk It Over:
* When you hear the word “forgiveness,” what hurts from your past come to mind? Have you forgiven the people who caused those hurts?
* Have you experienced God’s forgiveness? Do you really believe you are forgiven? If you do, then freely forgive others. If you don’t, then ask God to help you truly believe you are forgiven and, in turn, to help you forgive other people.
* How can you express your thanks to God today for his forgiveness?
Kita Ampuni Karena Allah Telah Mengampuni Kita
OLEH RICK WARREN -
”Tetapi hendaklah kamu ramah seorang terhadap yang lain, penuh kasih mesra dan saling mengampuni, sebagaimana Allah di dalam Kristus telah mengampuni kamu.”
Efesus 4:32 (New International Version/NIV)
Sayangnya, kita akan terluka dalam hidup ini. Dan banyak dari rasa sakit itu yang disengaja — akibat langsung dari apa yang dikatakan atau dilakukan orang tentang kita. Faktanya, setiap kali kita membaca kata "pengampunan," kita mungkin langsung teringat sakit hati, luka hati, dan masalah dari masa lalu kita. Kenangan itu masih terasa segar karena kita telah terluka sangat dalam.
Saat kita sangat terluka, seringkali sulit untuk mempertimbangkan untuk mengampuni para pelakunya. Tetapi Alkitab memberi kita satu alasan yang sangat penting yang kita butuhkan untuk mengampuni.
Kita mengampuni orang lain karena Allah telah mengampuni kita.
Alkitab berkata dalam Efesus 4:32, “Tetapi hendaklah kamu ramah seorang terhadap yang lain, penuh kasih mesra dan saling mengampuni, sebagaimana Allah di dalam Kristus telah mengampuni kamu” (NIV).
Memikirkan betapa Allah telah mengampuni kita akan membantu kita lebih mengampuni orang-orang yang telah menyakiti kita.
Kebalikannya juga benar. Jika kita tidak percaya dan menerima dengan iman bahwa kita telah diampuni oleh Allah, kemungkinan besar kita akan kesulitan mengampuni orang lain. Jika itu masalahnya, kita pertimbangkan apakah kita benar-benar percaya bahwa Allah telah mengampuni kita. Mari berbicara dengan Tuhan tentang keraguan apa pun.
Kita pikirkan seperti ini: Allah telah sepenuhnya menghapus seluruh kotoran dosa kita karena apa yang Yesus Kristus lakukan di kayu salib. Semua hal yang membuat kita pantas dihukum telah dibersihkan karena Tuhan telah mengampuni kita. Saat kita menerima kebenaran ini, kita akan merasa semakin sulit untuk menyimpan dendam terhadap orang lain.
Tidak peduli apa yang orang lain lakukan pada kita, kita tidak perlu mengampuni orang lain lebih dari yang Tuhan telah mengampuni kita. Dan Dia telah mengampuni kita. Itu janji.
Untuk Kita Renungkan:
* Ketika Anda mendengar kata “pengampunan,” apa yang menyakitkan dari masa lalu Anda muncul di benak Anda? Sudahkah Anda memaafkan orang yang menyebabkan rasa sakit itu?
* Pernahkah Anda mengalami pengampunan Tuhan? Apakah Anda benar-benar yakin bahwa Anda telah diampuni? Jika sudah percaya, ampunilah orang lain dengan bebas. Jika tidak, maka mohonlah supaya Tuhan membantu Anda benar-benar percaya bahwa Anda diampuni dan, pada gilirannya, membantu Anda memaafkan orang lain.
* Bagaimana Anda bisa mengungkapkan rasa terima kasih Anda kepada Tuhan hari ini atas pengampunanNya?
