Freely Received, Freely Give

Hello, fair readers! I feel that the Lord has pressed this verse in Matthew on my heart and I wanted to share this revelation with you.

Recently, I have had to deal with a situation where I have someone has been a constant thorn in my side… They seemed to want to cause me trouble and just plain irritate me…. It has been difficult not to hold a grudge and to feel love for this person–extremely hard! However, I have tried to be nice and do as the Lord as commanded me… But… “The Unlovable” seems to fit this person to a t!

As time progressed, I noticed the more I thought on this issue, the sicker and angrier I became…. Luckily, God is an every loving, every forgiving God. He directed me to this verse.

Matthew 10:8 says, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”

As I thought this over, I realized that God FREELY forgave me, so why can’t I freely forgive others? Why do I hold them to some standard? I am not God; I have no right to feel that this person should be on the same page as someone else. They are their own person and will mature in their own time, as the Lord leads! How can I expect patience and understanding from God if I cannot give patience and understanding to others?

I am so thankful that God quickened me and I repented for the hate in my heart… Needless to say, I felt immediate relief! My heart seemed lighter and I just felt better. Now, I try to see this person as God sees them and if they happen to hurt me, I see it for what it is, an attack from the enemy.

Freely ye have received freely give… I pray that this somehow affects your outlook and maybe you too can see how needful true forgiveness is… If God ministers to you through this, please comment, as we are overcomers by the word of our testimony!

Much love and prayer!

You sister in Christ Jesus,

K.N. Proctor