Forgiveness

The Greek word for forgiveness is Aphesis.

As a verb aphiemi, meaning, "to send forth, send away" and denotes, "to remit or forgive".
(ex:) Matt: 9:2 And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you." (NKJV)

As a noun, aphesis, "a dismissal, release". It is used for the remission of sins, and translates "forgiveness".
(ex:) Eph:1:7 In him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. (NKJV)

I have been thinking about forgiveness a lot lately. How important it is in my everyday life and how seldom it ever crosses my mind. To me, there are four examples that stand out.
1. The forgiveness at Calvary I received and I take for granted. Jesus was crucified just outside the city of Jerusalem at a place called Golgotha (Heb. "The Skull") near the Damascus gate so that I might be forgiven of my sins, past, present and future. This is the most important of all forgiveness and the ultimate act of love.

2. Forgiveness of ongoing sin: When I sin, I feel like a put a rift between Jesus and myself. I make a departure from the close and personal relationship to Jesus that I need so much. I pray each day for forgiveness of my sins so that I can experience His presence in my life. To be close to Jesus is to have peace and a sense of being loved that I need so much in this hectic and worrisome world.

3. The forgiveness that I must have for and seek from others: The Bible says I should leave my sacrifice at the alter and seek to make things right with those I have a grievance with before I come before Him. Sometimes this is a hard thing for me and I often pray for the strength and wisdom to swallow my pride and humble myself before those whom I think have wronged me. Moreover, I especially seek the forgiveness of those who, in my sinful human nature, I have wronged.

4. I must forgive myself: This is one aspect of forgiveness that I have a particularly hard time with. I am so tough on myself sometimes. I think of all the sinful things I have done in my past and I feel guilt and shame. I find that I am constantly beating myself up over these things even though I have asked for and receive forgiveness from my Father who is in heaven. I have to remember that God forgives me through Jesus and if He forgives me, I should be able to forgive myself. I also think of Paul, who persecuted and murdered Christians. He was lifted up and made anew when he accepted our Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. This example of forgiveness is one that I try to keep close to my heart, so that I can go before the Lord with faith and try to love myself, as He wants me to, not with a battered heart, but with joy and thanksgiving.

My prayer this morning:
Dear gracious and forgiving Father. Thank you for my salvation. Thank you for forgiving me, a lowly and humble man, of my sins. Please let me keep these examples of forgiveness in my heart and mind that I might be a better person and worthy of the wonderful gifts you bestow upon me. I ask that you allow the people that I interact with today to see You in me and please let me see You in them. I also thank You for helping me to forgive others and myself, as you have.
I ask these things with faith, in the name of Jesus. Amen