TruthApplied.com

Just as we choose what clothes to wear each day, we choose our attitudes and behaviors. Good attitudes are God honoring and improve relationships. Wrong attitudes and actions grieve the Spirit and dishonor God.

As one couple told me, a good marriage comes down to two Christians acting like Christians. More specifically two believers choosing to follow Christ.

See Overhead of right and wrong attitudes and other notes:

Overhead on Forgiveness / Bitterness

How did Christ Forgive us? (Romans 3:20-27)

• Wrongs were committed.
• Christ paid the consequences for our wrong (sins).
• Christ does not hold the wrongs against us believers.

Bitterness poisons us, others, and our relationship with God (Hebrews 12:15; Mathew 6:14-15)

1. Understand that people will wrong us and in love we will have to let a lot of things go (1 Peter 4:8).

2. Forgiveness involves choosing to accept and pay for the consequences they have done to us. A person who has deeply hurt us can never repay–we have to choose to accept it and not hold it against them.

3. Forgiveness involves not holding the wrong against them.

4. Forgiveness is letting God “get the person back”. By doing being kind and going the extra mile it will help evaporate our bitterness (Romans 12:16-21).

-What if they keep sinning against us? (Mathew 18:21-30)
-What if they don’t come and apologize? Do I still forgive? (Mathew 18:21-22)
-Do I always let things go and just let someone wrong me?(Mathew 18:15)
-Do I confront on Every wrong? (1Pe 4:8)

The choice is between bondage (bitterness) and freedom (forgiveness).

(C) 2006 Arlen Busenitz. www.truthapplied.com
Given at Church on 10-8-06

This entry was posted on Monday, October 9th, 2006 at 10:32 am and is filed under Marriage Series, Christian Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.