Let Go!

Let Go!

forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Colossians 3:13 KJV

Context and Charge:

It cannot be overemphasised how important it is to define expectations. No matter how hard I try or how long I pray for, I can't demand oranges from yam seedlings. The expected fruit is in the nature and quality of the seed to be planted. Today's verse is also seen in that light, and if any part of this verse is to be fulfilled, I have to know what God demands and live in line with those demands. Who am I expected to be? The very first verse of the chapter from which today's verse makes clear who it is addressed to: If ye then be risen with Christ. There is a conditional statement in that verse, and if I know who I am, and where I have been placed, then I can align with what this verse demands. As I take stock of my life now, do I consider myself to have died to sin, and then risen with Christ?

Look at what the verse demands: Forbear and Forgive. To forbear is to politely or patiently restrain an impulse to do something. There are times when people will step on my toes or sometimes seek to deliberately trip me up. When the squeeze comes, what flows out of me? When pressure comes, what would my life produce? The verse does not say I should respond in this way because the person deserves it, or has earned it. I am not concerned about the person's state of mind, or the motive behind the person's action. All God asks me to do is to forbear; to let go. Yes, the human nature sometimes will seek to lash out, but when I have died to sin and risen with Christ, the human nature is always and fully subdued, and the life of God will shine out. Does this describe me now?

Conviction and Conclusion:

To forgive is to excuse another person's ignorance or impoliteness. Christ already laid down the perfect example of forgiveness. When I was not even conscious that I needed Christ, He gave his life for me. Even for those who have not yet surrendered their lives to Christ, there is in place a standing provision to wash away their sin if they repent and return to Christ. Offence will happen as long as we are on this side of heaven, but as long as I depend on the finished work of Christ, and the forgiveness that He has freely offered me, I can forgive and let go. It is clear that Christ wants me to live out his own kind of life, so that I can show off his love and light to the world. That is the life that God demands from me. Would I let his life flow? God's time of favour is here.