Vertical Forgiveness

Many people in this world need mental, emotional, and physical healing, and Lord Jesus calls us to help them. But how we can minister healing to others if we ourselves have mental and emotional wounds that we have not allowed to heal through forgiveness?
 
And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 Amplified)
 
Always remember this, that the basis of all forgiveness is based on the foundation that God has already forgiven us because of what Christ Jesus did on the cross.
 
There are two directions in which forgiveness must be extended. These directions are represented by the cross - one vertical and the other horizontal.
 
The vertical represents the fact that we all need forgiveness from God, which we can obtain only by receiving the finished work of Christ on the cross to forgive and save us. The horizontal represents the fact that forgiveness is necessary between and among human beings.
 
There are two aspects to horizontal forgiveness:
 1. giving it …..forgiving others
2. receiving it…….forgiving ourselves
 
Because God has forgiven us, we can forgive others and ourselves. Let me explain:
 
One of the most interesting things in the Gospels I find is that Lord Jesus accurately predicted the denial of Peter and the betrayal of Judas - both were his disciples. Peter even promised the Lord that he would never leave Him even if he had to die for it.
 
Both betrayed Our Lord, both recognized their own guilt and felt remorse. But both had different endings - Peter was restored, but Judas hanged himself; why?
 
Judas, the disciple of Jesus who surrendered the Messiah to be murdered, could not accept God’s forgiveness. He felt condemned and thought there was no way out for him; thus, he killed himself.
 
In contrast, Peter, the disciple who denied Jesus at a critical time during His trial and suffering, received Jesus’ forgiveness, was restored, and became one of the greatest apostles of history. The difference lies in this: Peter trusted in God’s mercy and forgiveness - Judas did not.
 
For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. (Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV)
 
When God forgives us, scriptures say that He remembers our sins no more. Of course, this does not mean that our all-knowing Father God forgets, but rather, because He forgives us, He chooses not to bring up our sin in a negative way.

Loving Father, I understand that I can never earn Your love. I thank You for Your unmerited love. I accept Your forgiveness. All my guilt and shame has been washed by the Blood of Jesus.