Forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you...

There is no doubt in my mind that hatred is the poison of mankind. We see hatred in the news everyday with acts of violence, murder, terrorism, the list goes on. It exists in our newspapers, social media, on the TV destroying everything good. But we don't have to go nearly as far as that to see hatred. It exists in our towns and cities, in our streets and even in our very own homes.

The enemy uses all sorts of weapons to wreak havoc on our harmony. Pride and temper are two of his favourites and seem to be ever present in disputes in our homes and between our friends which, very sadly, can seriously damage or even end relationships. It is so sad to see good friends break apart when situations can so often be sorted out. Satan absolutely loves this. When we fall out with someone it is very easy to develop a dislike for them especially if they have wronged us, abused our trust or just simply upset us in some way. That old saying comes to mind "You only hurt the ones you love". Mostly its because the ones that hurt us are the one we least expect it from. This makes it so much harder for us to forgive.

So how do we free ourselves from this? Do we go and tell others how bad your friend has treated you? Do you seek revenge? Or do you simply just avoid them all together? I tell you know, at times like this Satan is smiling from ear to ear and loving every second.

The bible is full to the brim of instances of forgiveness and reconciliation. Consider the story of Joseph in Genesis. After his brothers hated him, threw him in a pit to die, then sold him as a slave in which he was wrongly imprisoned, even after he rose in power and had the power to do as he wished to them, he forgave them, embraced them and reunited with them once more. That is what forgiveness is all about.

So let's think for a moment about those we have parted company from. At one point you were close to them. There were good reasons why you were once so close, try to remember them without thinking of the reason why you parted. Why not ask God to help you to revisit those times and show you what it was like. But do remember the enemy will be close by to push those hateful thoughts back into your mind. Don't give him the satisfaction.

As a final point, Jesus died on the cross to bear our sins. He did this so ALL of us could be saved from our sins because at some point ALL of us are wrong. Does that mean that at some point we may have sinned as badly as our friend, partner, family member. I do believe so or Jesus died on that cross for absolutely nothing.