Date: Sunday, 17th December, 2023
Text: Proverbs 19:11
Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan
Exhortation:
One of the antidotes of unforgiveness is to give allowances for offenses. Never expect too much from people. Understand that offenses will always come and forgive people in advance. Human beings will be humans with their weaknesses and strengths. When you rate people too highly and they cannot live up to your high expectations, you get offended.
In Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs Jesus was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person- John 2:23-25.
A brother once approached another brother in the same church for financial loan, the money was much but the lender’s only money was the rent he was saving up before the due date. The borrower promised Heaven and Earth that he would pay up before the due date. So the innocent brother released the money.
The rent was almost due and the time promised by the borrower came but he was not forth coming. All efforts to get him to pay proved abortive until the church leadership was involved.
Someone once came to me and was seriously pleading for a little financial loan. Though he requested for a loan, in my mind, I was not expecting the payment back. So eventually when he did not pay, I did not ask him and I did not feel offended. He was already forgiven before he even offended; for peace to reign.
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense- Proverbs 19:11. Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends- Proverbs 17:9.
Prophetic Nugget: Receive wisdom and grace to overlook offenses in Jesus name.