Your Spirit-Filled Source of Fathomless Forgiveness

Walking on water?

Healing crowds of people?

Miraculously multiplying food to feed thousands?

Our Savior defied logic and did the unthinkable as He walked the earth, daily giving evidence of His clear divinity while enrobed in the fragility of humanity.

Maybe one of the clearest examples occurs at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Now, most days it’s not too hard to hold a grudge, especially when the person committing the wrong is a repeat offender. At that point, it’s easy to justify why forgiveness is undeserved. Instead there’s a cry for justice. A wrong must be made right. The greater the offense, the louder the cry for punishment.

But He has made forgiveness possible.

Even in the most hurtful and crushing of situations, we can follow our Savior. As we meet with Him, discussing what has happened, bringing our hurts before Him, we get to access His strength and power that stabilize fickle emotions and grant us new perspective and the ability to forgive.

It’s through His power that we are able to display the fruit of the Spirit when the world, the flesh and the devil offer alternatives to meekness, humility and blessing others.

The Spirit of power He has given us allows us to access what’s in His heart for others, even when we’re in pain.

He demonstrated this first.

Our beloved Son of God, the One in whom the Father is well pleased, looked on those who had lied about Him, those who had tortured Him and those who had abandoned Him, and fully gave Himself to being their sacrificial Lamb. He willingly took on their sin so that they could be free from the crime they were committing and their bondage to all sin.

Although many would’ve understood if He had chosen anger, Jesus showed compassion on those accusing Him, beating Him and deriding Him, refusing to save Himself or put Himself above His creation. Instead He chose, once more, to serve all as the receding tide of popularity swept away the fleeting facade of man’s approval.

There had been a time when others had flocked to Him, seeking miracles, food, notoriety, entertainment. But amid two thieves, the Lamb slain before the foundations of this world kept His focus on His Father and the joy set before Him. With a heart free of malice, ill intent or musings of retaliation, Jesus showed us of a love that is patient, kind, keeps no record of wrongs and results in forgiveness—an open heart that continues to pour forth love when being wronged.

This is the love that’s been placed in our hearts by His Spirit. It leads us to forgive when it’s completely undeserved, unrequested and undesired. It allows us to walk as Jesus did toward those who lack compassion, remorse, or even a full understanding of the gravity of their wrong.

Through the power of God, we have access to what Jesus died to give us in these situations—true freedom.

He walked this road before us, and He walks it again with us.

The one who authored our faith will also finish what He’s doing in us and through us. No matter the size or scope of the offense or the degree of the pain, the restorer of all things looks to lead us in the path of forgiveness that allows for redemption and healing to take place.

He lifts our heads and urges us to keep our eyes on Him, the one who is able to carry the weight of our pain and properly administer justice for that pain in holiness. {eoa}

Fia Curley serves on the NightWatch at IHOPKC, participating in prayer, worship and intercession from midnight to 6 a.m. She enjoys blending her passion for prayer, worship and journalism as she labors with the Lord to see His goodness revealed to families, government leaders and immigrants from non-Christian nations.

This article originally appeared at ihopkc.org.