Luke 17:1″ Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come…”
It is normal that people will offend you because offences will definitely come.
However, you have a responsibility over every offence that comes your way.
You either take it and hold it grudgingly or you ignore it and forgive expressly.
Your response is a function of your spiritual attainment. Your response shows your carnality or your spirituality.
“TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE.”
The human here is the world, divine here means God – godly, nature of God, Godlike.
So, it means that it is in the nature of humans to offend but it is in the nature of God to forgive.
Therefore, as a believer, if you lack the spirit of forgiveness, you are worldly. The nature of God is not yet formed in you. You are not yet divine.
Forgiveness is a divine attribute because it is the nature of God himself.
One can say, ‘ God is love’, I can say, “God is forgiveness”.
Lamentation 3:22 says, ” It is for my mercies sake that you are not consumed…”.
This implies that despite Jacobs offences against God, His “forgiveness” nature kept him from destroying them.
So for you believers, the world will offend you but it is your responsibility to forgive them because of the nature of God in you.
Theirs is to offend, yours is to forgive. That is the divinity within you. To hold the offences shows the worldliness in you.
So you are divine; you are godly; you are Godlike when the spirit of forgiveness is in you.
Jesus, at the point of crucifixion forgave those who crucified him. That is the divine nature of His Father that He brought to bear (Luke 23:34)
Stephen, at the point of death forgave those who stoned him to death. That is the divine nature of his Lord and master that he brought to bear (Acts 7 : 54-6 )
SO, TO OFFEND IS THE WORLD’S, TO FORGIVE IS FOR THOSE WITH DIVINE NATURE OF GOD IN THEM.
Jesus answered and said, “I say forgive seventy times seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22)
Even if one offends you daily and you must forgive him or her, you can’t keep record of these numbers of wrongs for a lifetime. What is the lifespan of a man compared to the number of times you can seize from forgiving an individual that offended you?
Is the nature of God in you? that is yours to judge.
Father, form your devine nature of forgiveness within us in Jesus Christ name, AMEN.
God bless you.
