Was Job restored when he forgave his friends? Was his restoration tied to his forgiveness of his friends? Yes he was re- established and restored in his ways and was better than ever before. A closer walk with God, more material things than he ever had before. Job was restored when he forgave his friends. We must do the same today. Not only our friends are we to forgive but also our family members who wronged us, enemies who would like us destroyed. Simply put we must turn the other check and forgive seventy times seventy. If you ever want any peace in your life then you must forgive as Christ forgive you. This does not mean that you can strike some kind of deal with God. But it means you must forgive just as He forgives you. Our wiliness to forgive others, as hard as it may be, is a evidence that The Lord has forgiven us. It is bitterness and anger in our hearts why we can not forgive others who have sinned against us or did us wrong. If we can not forgive then God cannot forgive us. It is simple as that. We must learn to forgive. Simply put an unforgiving spirit prevents us from making God’s loving forgiveness our own. When the Lord said to Job, “Pray for your friends and you will be restored.” Job prayed for his friends and by this gave evidence that his heart was no longer filled with resentment, hate, bitterness toward them. The end result was that he could not only forgive his friends but also completely experience the forgiveness and blessings of God for himself. If we want to experience God’s forgiveness then we must forgive and pray for those who have talked bad about us, wronged us in some way or have hurt us.
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Here is a little more on forgiveness:
From Beyond Tolerable Recovery
By Ed M. Smith
Family Care Publishing
Campbellsville, Kentucky
Matthew 6: 12: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Matthew 6: 14-15: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Quotations are from Matthew 18: 21-30:
Principle One: Forgiveness is not a means of changing another but rather is the avenue of release for the one holding the debt. “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Principle Two: Forgiveness requires that we take a full account of the debt. “…a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him…”
Principle Three: The debtor does not have the means to repay the debt. “Since he was not able to pay…”
Principle Four: Anger is a normal reaction to injustice, but it must be released before freedom will come. “Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.”
Principle Five: The integrity and sincerity of the indebted offender is not critical for true forgiveness to be administered. “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’”
Principle Six: Genuine forgiveness requires we find compassion. “The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go…”
Principle Seven: Forgiveness benefits the forgiver more than the forgiven. The king “canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.”
Principle Eight: Forgiveness should not be confused with reconciliation.
RESENTMENT IS LIKE TAKING POISON AND THEN WAITING FOR THE OTHER PERSON TO DIE. HANGING ON TO RESENTMENT IS LETTING SOMEONE YOU DESPISE LIVE RENT FREE IN YOUR HEAD.
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