4 APRIL
TURBULENCE IN THE AIR: FORGIVENESS
“But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15)
Let us indulge our imaginations. You are travelling by air from Port Harcourt to Lagos. The plane is filled mostly with Nigerians. The take–off is smooth. You relax and begin to read a book. Suddenly there is turbulence but you are still calm. The pilot announces: “Go back to your seats and fasten your seat belts.” When he says: “Crew take your seats,” you are no longer as calm as you were. “This is mid–air,” you wonder. Before you know it, the luggage compartments opens and different hand luggage begin to fall out. The oxygen masks fall out. People are shouting “JESUS! JESUS!” Even people of other religions are shouting “JESUS!”
As a Christian, you pray: “Father, accept my soul.” Then you remember your friend whom you trusted but who had hurt you and you had been struggling to forgive. You shout out, “Father, I forgive him completely…” Soon, the turbulence stops as suddenly as it had started. People begin to clap. You feel like Jonah in the ship and you begin to cry as you wonder: “Would I have made heaven if I had died now?”
Jonah, running away from the Lord, had entered a ship and the storms raged until they threw him overboard then the tempest ceased immediately and the men feared the God of Jonah and made vows. You should make your vow too: “Father God, I promise that I will always let go anything that will prevent me from making heaven, especially hurts and unforgiveness, please give me the grace in Jesus name. Amen.”
Jesus forgave even those that crucified him. Deacon Stephen, a man just like us, forgave those that stoned him. Jesus came and took our sins on Himself and we receive forgiveness freely BUT the Bible verse above clearly states that if we do not forgive others, our heavenly Father will not forgive us.
Thoughts to ponder: Why wait for the turbulence to make things right? What happens after the turbulence?
ACTION: Search your heart daily to make things right as God requires.
PRAYER: Lord, grant me grace to forgive always.