Could you forgive?

Forgivness is so very hard. Paul shows us an example here of what we are to be doing.

2 Timothy 4:16
16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.

To give you a little back ground on this verse Paul had a preliminary hearing before Caesar during his second imprisonment and everyone abandon him. It is very interesting to me that Paul is using the same basic language as Jesus when He was on the cross:

Luke 23:34
34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Stephen also practiced this teaching of Jesus:

Acts 7:60
60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

As we see in these verses above all 3 three of these men were facing the hardest thing in life we all will face...DEATH. Not a natural death of old age but a death others for crimes they were not guilty of. All three set the example for us of forgiving their enemies and asking the Father not to charge their sin against them. In Paul's case to forgive those who turned their back on him. WOW! Stop and think about that.

Now the question for us...could we forgive if put in the same postiton? From what I see in these verses it isn't really a choice is it? It is what we are taught to do by our Lord!

Have a blessed weekend!

Tom