Forgiveness means deferring the cause to Christ and deciding to be free of the ongoing burden of bitterness and blame.

Lord, at whatever point I judge another person, Your Word says I am condemning myself, because those of us who pass judgment do the same things. Now I know that Your judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when I, a mere human, pass judgment on others and yet do the same things, do I think I will escape Your judgment? (Rom. 2:1—2). If I do not judge, I will not be judged. If I do not condemn, I will not be condemned. If I

If you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. Matthew 6:14

May our memories of kindness be long and of offenses be short.

Withholding forgiveness until an offender understands or acknowledges the emotional pain they have inflicted is a subtle form of revenge. Why? Because it's hoping that the offender would hurt a little too, in order to understand. But this type of revenge robs you of your freedom and allows the offender to keep control of you. Dr. Chuck Lynch, I Should Forgive, but .

There's enormous energy required to carry grudges - enormous energy! And I'm getting too old to expend my energy that way, cause I think every person has a limited amount of energy. So I have given up all grudges.

If you hug to yourself any resentment against anybody else, you destroy the bridge by which God would come to you.

Amnesty is as good for those who give it as for those who receive it. It has the admirable quality of bestowing mercy on both sides.

When we forgive someone, it doesn't justify what they've done. It releases them into God's hands so He can deal with them.

Forgiveness doesn't make the other person right, it makes you free.

You, Lord, are the only One who knows the whole story, so we don't have the right to judge.

My pastor had told me that forgiveness doesn't mean justifying or condoning what he did, but it would begin the process of freeing me from the past, and it would offer a lost person the opportunity for redemption.