Reading your Bible for Today January 31

January 31: 2 Corinthians 2:5-8

KJV Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 2:7
7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

Devotion:
Two things many people find very hard to do: One, to admit to an issue and two, to forgive someone. None of us like to have to admit when we are wrong or that we have done something wrong, because we have this sense that if we do we will no longer be the 'good' person we used to be... the thing is, we have already done wrong and we need to be able to clear away the wrong-doing so we can start again. But when it comes to others doing wrong against you and then having to admit their mistakes, we expect them to admit to it immediately. And even when they have admitted to it, we take our time at forgiving them just in case they did not really mean it in!

Most of this all stems from pride. The pride we carry round to try and show others we are more than we seem to be! We don't like to admit when we are any less than we seem to be. We don't like to admit we can do wrong. We don't like to admit we do get things wrong – but unless we are going to start to admit it, we have to continue carrying round those issues forever. For as long as we try to cover up issues, we build up a seething mess under the covers which will one day make itself known.

When things get too much, the embarrassment of having to admit to the issues is greater the longer we have tried to hide things. The more we try to cover over things, the greater the 'revelation' when they are uncovered. No matter how bad we think things are, they only get worse the longer things are covered for! I am sure each one of us can think of a time when we had to admit to something embarrassing! Now think back to that time and how you craved for people to forgive you. Think back to the need you had for people to genuinely forgive and hopefully forget. That is why we have to look at how we forgive people – don't wait until they are dying with embarrassment!

Points to Ponder:
What are you hiding from your friends?

Do you think you are hiding anything from God?