God never stoops to carry grudges. That\u2019s one thing I used\nto do best. Oh, yes. You wouldn\u2019t find anyone who did it better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I learned three facts that changed me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is a grudge? Thesaurus lists resentment, bitterness,\nill will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you ever thought that God had ill will toward you? That\nhe was trying to get even with you? That he was carrying grudges?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long ago, before I knew God as I know him now, I sometimes\nthought he had a grudge against me. I didn\u2019t get that idea from anything he\ndid. I lived by feelings<\/em>, not fact<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt<\/em> he had a\ngrudge because I knew he was entitled to it. I was so good at carrying grudges\nagainst those who disappointed or hurt me, naturally I assumed he reacted the\nsame way when I disappointed or grieved him. I didn\u2019t know him very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over time I came to know my heavenly Father well enough to climb into his arms when I felt disappointed or hurt. Cradled in his strong embrace, I gained grace to forgive those who wounded me and lay aside my grudges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the way, that isn\u2019t a once-and-done thing. Life brings\ndisappointment\u2014and opportunity to carry grudges. How we handle them determines\nwhether we live in a pit of discouragement or in the glorious abundance our\nFather chose for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Life brings disappointment\u2014and opportunity to carry grudges. How we handle them determines whether we live in a pit of discouragement or in the glorious abundance our Father chose for us. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n God doesn\u2019t carry grudges. He just doesn\u2019t. How do I know? Truth-proof: \u201cIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness\u201d (1 John 1:9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can learn a powerful lesson from one of the best-known\npassages in Scripture. John 8 records an incident involving a woman caught in\nadultery. The scribes and Pharisees brought her to Jesus and asked what should\nbe done to her, since \u201cMoses in the law commanded us, that such should be\nstoned.\u201d They weren\u2019t concerned about the woman. Their motive was to trick\nJesus and find a reason to accuse him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus didn\u2019t speak. He stooped and using his finger, wrote\non the ground, as if he hadn\u2019t heard them. When they kept asking, he stood and\nsaid, \u201cHe that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And\nagain he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd those which heard it, being convicted by their own\nconscience, went out one by one\u2026and Jesus was left alone, and the woman\nstanding in the midst.\u201d He spoke to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWoman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man\ncondemned thee? She said, No man, Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What did Jesus do next? He could\u2019ve said, \u201cGet away from me,\nyou sinful, hopeless woman. You aren\u2019t worthy to be in my presence!\u201d But that\nisn\u2019t the Jesus we know. He said, \u201cNeither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no\nmore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forgiven! No grudges!<\/p>\n\n\n\n God never stoops to carry grudges. He always stoops to love sinners and forgive our failures\u2014great and small. And aren’t you glad?<\/p>\n\n\n\n God never stoops to carry grudges. He always stoops to love sinners and forgive our failures\u2014great and small. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n If I had any doubt, these Scriptures settle it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous\nin mercy unto all them that call upon thee\u201d (Psalm 86:5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast\ncovered all their sin\u201d (Psalm 85:2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their\nsin no more\u201d (Jeremiah 31:34b).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of\nyour flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all\ntrespasses\u201d (Colossians 2:13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPut on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye\u201d (Colossians 3:11-12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following Christ obligates us to forgive. Forgiveness erases grudges. Our Lord doesn\u2019t carry any, and he doesn\u2019t want us to, either. Life is better when we live it his way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you open your heart and share an experience when God\u2019s\nforgiveness offered grace for you to forgive someone else? And please pass this\narticle on to your friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" God never stoops to carry grudges. That\u2019s one thing I used to do best. Oh, yes. You wouldn\u2019t find anyone who did it better. Then I learned three facts that changed me: Carrying grudges is a characteristic of immaturity. Carrying grudges is detrimental to relationships. Carrying grudges is a colossal waste of time. What is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,165,392,393],"class_list":["post-1086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-dianne-barker","tag-forgiveness","tag-god-never-stoops-to-carry-grudges","tag-live-by-fact-not-feeling"],"yoast_head":"\n