Tuesday; January 30

The Bible is pretty straightforward when it comes to forgiveness. Jesus was quoted as saying, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14-15). Now, while it is quite clear that we have a responsibility to forgive people, I also believe that some violations of trust justify a cautious approach to restoration of certain relationships. If someone errs and lets us down, that doesn’t mean that they automatically deserve to be restored to their pre-sin position. Using caution might not only be natural, it might even display a sense of wisdom.

I wonder what Jesus would have done had Judas asked for His forgiveness. I firmly believe He would have granted forgiveness, but would Judas still have been a trusted member of the inner circle or even retained his position of treasurer? We’ll never know the answer to that rhetorical question, but I think it helps us understand the difference between forgiveness and an unabridged tolerance of evil. Honestly, there are times when wisdom dictates that we take people out of positions of responsibility to help them avoid the temptation that led to their mistake in the first place.

Let’s be willing to forgive, but wise in compete and total restoration. When we use good sense, we might not only save us some headaches, we might help others avoid future heartaches as well.

Think About It!

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