DAILY TEXT, Today Monday, May 6, 2024,  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2024

Monday May 6, 2024

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).

Isn't it a great relief not to have to decide whether Jehovah will forgive a sinner? Even so, there is something that is up to us to decide. What is it about? Someone who has sinned against us, even seriously, may apologize and ask for forgiveness. Or maybe he doesn't. In any case, we can make the decision to forgive him, that is, get rid of the resentment and anger that we may feel towards that person. The truth is that this may take time and cost us, especially if we have been hurt a lot. The Watchtower of September 15, 1994 says: “Forgiving a sinner does not mean excusing his sin. For the Christian, forgiving means confidently leaving the matter in Jehovah's hands. He is the just Judge of the entire universe, and he will do justice in due time.” w22.06 9 paras. 6, 7. 

WHY JEHOVAH WANTS US TO FORGIVE

How do we show our appreciation for Jehovah’s mercy?

When we forgive, we show that we are grateful for Jehovah's mercy. In a parable, Jesus compared Jehovah to a master who forgave a huge debt to a slave who could not pay him. But that slave showed no mercy to a fellow slave who owed him much less money (Matt. 18:23-35). What did Jesus want to teach? That, if we truly appreciate the immense mercy that Jehovah shows us, we will feel moved to forgive others.​—Ps. 103:9. Speaking on this topic, many years ago The Watchtower explained that, no matter how many times we forgive others, our forgiveness will never equal “the forgiveness and mercy that God extends to us through Christ.”

To whom does Jehovah show mercy? (Matthew 6:14, 15).

If we forgive, Jehovah will forgive us. He shows mercy to the merciful (Matt. 5:7; James 2:13). Jesus made this idea clear when he taught his disciples to pray (read Matthew 6:14, 15). Jehovah had already emphasized this idea in the days of Job. This faithful servant of God had had to endure the hurtful comments of three men: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. Jehovah commanded Job to pray for them. And when Job did it, Jehovah rewarded him (Job 42:8-10).

Why does it harm us to hold a grudge? (Ephesians 4:31, 32).

Holding a grudge harms us. Resentment is like a burden, and Jehovah wants us to take that weight off our shoulders. (Read Ephesians 4:31, 32.) He advises us: “Let go of anger, renounce fury” (Ps. 37:8). Following this advice benefits us because resentment is bad for physical and mental health (Prov. 14:30). Holding a grudge against someone is like drinking poison: we only hurt ourselves. So when we forgive others, we give ourselves a gift (Prov. 11:17). We feel at peace and can continue serving Jehovah.

What does the Bible say about revenge? (Romans 12:19-21).

We leave revenge in the hands of Jehovah. Jehovah has not given us permission to take revenge on those who sin against us (read Romans 12:19-21). Because we are imperfect and our vision is so limited, we do not have Jehovah’s ability to judge matters well. (Heb. 4:13) Also, sometimes we let feelings cloud our reason. James wrote by inspiration: “The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). We can be sure that Jehovah will do what is right and see that justice is done.

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