LEARNING TO APOLOGIZE AND MAKE THINGS RIGHT

Let me share something personal that has really helped me greatly in my life:

If we sin against God, we repent and make things right with Him. That is easy. What is difficult is when we miss the mark in relation to our fellow human beings. It is very humbling to look somebody in the eyes, and to sincerely say "Please forgive me". It is difficult because it grates against our pride and our flesh. In the culture that I grew up in, we were taught a lot about honor and humility, but to actually walk up to somebody and ask for forgiveness was something that I rarely saw anybody do.

This is something that I had to learn from the Bible, because as a Christian I wanted to obey God's Word as much as I could.

As a middle-easterner, I must admit that my mouth often moves faster than my brain, and I am ashamed of many things that I have said when I have been carried away in the heat of the moment. I know that I have managed to offend many people and that I have lost friends because of this. One can get away with it among fellow middle-easterners, because between moments of mature expression most of us usually run our mouths much of the time. We then make up, and we are then all right again. We somehow accept this negative trait in one another and often laugh it off; but Westerners do not understand this.

In any case, God has been working on me and I am thankful for that. But pity the man who even God Himself cannot work on and change, because the man in his pride just does not think that he needs to change. May we always keep our hearts tender and pliable before God, despite our shortcomings.

That is why the concept of asking for forgiveness is a good thing and it works for ALL Christians. It cleans things up, it purifies our hearts, and it brings God's grace upon our lives. I have seen it in my own life many, many times ....

Asking for forgiveness from individuals can be difficult. Even more difficult is asking for forgiveness in public. I believe in a spiritual principle: If we sin privately, we repent privately. If we sin in public, we repent in public.

I have had to do it. I remember back in Sweden as a student in Bible School when I asked the entire student body for forgiveness, and then another time when I stood up before the entire congregation in my home church and asked for forgiveness. These things were very difficult, but doing this was something that I found very liberating. It was like conquering a stronghold of pride in my life. Baring our hearts like this is a good thing to do.

Beloved, when we realize our shortcomings or they are brought before us, let us be quick to make things right, whether it be before the Lord, before individuals, or even before entire congregations. It is the right thing to do, it is good for us, it saves our God-given relationships, and it helps us to mature in our own walk with God and before our fellow man.

Originally posted on Facebook by Pastor Christopher Alam