A Lifestyle of Forgiveness EPHESIANS 4:29-32

Showing mercy to those who hurt us does not come naturally—it’s easier to get angry and remain that way. We justify our lack of forgiveness by pointing to the injustice that took place or harm that was done. But God commands us to be merciful (Luke 6:36). We, who have been shown divine mercy, are to practice a lifestyle of forgiveness.

So why don’t we obey? Sometimes our pride gets in the way. We become angry when treated with disrespect, passed over for a job opportunity, or ignored despite our accomplishments. At other times we get focused on other people’s refusal to change, and we withhold mercy until they improve their behavior. Then, some of us have been badly hurt or unjustly treated. Our minds are so filled with pain that we become stuck in the past. We cannot see how we can forgive.

An unforgiving attitude can have all sorts of unwanted consequences, including broken relationships, emotional bondage, and indifference toward the Lord. The longer we hold onto our anger, the more it will affect our fellowship with other people as well as with our heavenly Father. Over time, we may become bitter and hostile, which certainly does not fit who we are in Christ.

It is hard for us to pardon those who tell lies about us, treat us badly, or cause harm to our loved ones. And yet, their behavior towards us is not a reason to withhold mercy. God calls us to forgive just as He forgave us—and with His help, we can do just that.

Dwell in Your Hearts

. . . So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Ephesians 3:17

It is desirable beyond measure that we, as believers, should keep the person of Jesus constantly before us, to stir up our love for Him and to grow in our knowledge of Him. I would to God that my readers were all entered as diligent scholars in Jesus’ college, students of Corpus Christi, or the body of Christ, resolved to get a good degree in the learning of the cross. But to have Jesus ever near, the heart must be full of Him, welling up with His love and even running over; so the apostle prays “that Christ may dwell in your hearts.” Look at how close he wants Jesus to be! You cannot get a subject closer to you than to have it in your heart. “That Christ may dwell“; not that He may call upon you sometimes, as a casual visitor may stay overnight, but that He may dwell; that Jesus may become the Lord and permanent resident of your inmost being, never to leave again.

Observe the words: that He may dwell in your heart, the best room in the house! Not in your thoughts alone, but in your affections; not merely in the mind’s meditations, but in the heart’s emotions. We should long to love Christ in an enduring way—not a love that flames up and then dies out into the darkness of a few embers, but a constant flame, fed by sacred fuel, like the fire upon the altar that never went out.

This cannot be accomplished except by faith. Faith must be strong or love will not be fervent; the root of the flower must be healthy or we cannot expect the blossom to be glorious. Faith is the plant’s root, and love is the plant’s blossom. Now, reader, Jesus cannot be in your heart’s love unless you have a firm hold of Him by your heart’s faith; and, therefore, pray that you may always trust Christ in order that you may always love Him. If love is cold, be sure that faith is faltering