When I first heard some of the scriptures on Sunday morning concerning forgiving and relationships, I may have let out a small, nearly silent, but even so, gasp! Sure, I have heard some of these things before, but hearing them from the pulpit gave me a different perspective. For example, at the end of Matthew 18:23-35, The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, God's feelings about forgiveness are very clear.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Woah. Maybe this sounds harsh. But God is very serious about relationships, and rightfully so. It personally clicked again for me just how meaningful relationships are to God. So much of scripture is about interaction with others. The fruits of the Spirit are almost always related and connected to how we treat others. Jesus gives us the perfect example of how to handle relational disputes.
Colossians 3:12-14 says 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.