Forgiveness is the key to personal peace. Forgiveness releases action and creates freedom. We all need to say the right thing after doing the wrong thing.
Lawrence Sterne said, “Only the brave know how to forgive…a coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.” Josiah Bailey adds, “It is the truth that those who forgive most shall be most forgiven.”
One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody, everything, every night, before you go to bed. Peter Von Winter said, “It is manlike to punish, but Godlike to forgive.” When you have a huge chip on your shoulder, it causes you to lose your balance.
If you would quit nursing a grudge, it would die. You don’t need a doctor to tell you it’s better to remove a grudge than to nurse it. Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.
It is far better to forgive and forget than to hate and remember. Josh Billings says, “There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.” Richard Nixon said, “Those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”
Unforgiveness blocks blessings, forgiveness releases blessings. Why aren’t some prayers answered? Dwight L. Moody answered, “I firmly believe that a great many prayers are not answered because we are not willing to forgive someone.”
Do you want to release the past and claim the future? Get a hold of what Paul Boese said, “Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.”
Harry Fosdick said, “No one can be wrong with man and right with God.”
You can be wrong in the middle of being right when you don’t forgive someone. “Protest long enough that you are right and you will be wrong” (Yiddish proverb).
The Bible says in Ephesians,
“Let all bitterness, wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice; and be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
(Eph. 4:31)
Ask yourself this question, “If God is willing to forgive, then who am I to hold out?”
by John Mason.
Excerpt permission granted by Insight Publishing
John Mason is an international bestselling author, minister, publisher, executive author coach, and noted speaker. He’s the founder and president of Insight International and Insight Publishing Group. Both organizations are dedicated to helping people reach their dreams and fulfill their God-given destinies.
He has authored thirty-two books including An Enemy Called Average, You’re Born An Original—Don’t Die A Copy, Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop, and Know Your Limits Then Ignore Them which have sold over 2 million copies and are translated into 40 different languages throughout the world. His books are widely regarded as a source of godly wisdom, scriptural motivation, and practical principles. His writings have been published twice in Reader’s Digest along with numerous other national and international publications. Seven of his books have reached number one on Amazon bestseller lists.
He’s been the president of two Christian publishing companies. He’s also a former Vice President and Publisher for Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), the 6th largest book publisher in the world and largest Christian publisher.
He’s an internationally recognized executive author coach, helping numerous prominent authors with their books for more than thirty years. Politicians, NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB, an Olympic gold medalist and other professional athletes, billionaires, businesspeople, pastors, ministers, New York Times bestselling authors, a Fortune 500 CEO, Navy SEALs, Top Gun pilots, and a Texas governor have all benefitted from his knowledge.
Known for his quick wit, powerful thoughts, and insightful ideas, he is a popular speaker across the US and around the world.