| One of the greatest aspects of God's | | | | with a warm smile and brief embrace. As the |
| forgiveness for sins in Christ is the fact | | | | Pastor reached into his pocket for the church |
| that he also forgets them. We have the | | | | check, he looked into the man's face and |
| assurance that he remembers our sins no more. | | | | hesitated for a moment. The man thought that |
| He purposely and permanently puts them out | | | | surely the Pastor had just recognized him and |
| of his memory and never revisits them. | | | | had changed his mind about helping. He knew |
| | | | this was a bad idea, asking the man he had |
| We can conclude from God's example, that | | | | cheated to help. He might as well just tell |
| sometimes it is better to forget than to | | | | him to leave. |
| remember. It is apparent that Joseph | | | | |
| understood this as Moses records in Genesis | | | | Before the man could speak however, the |
| 41:51 "And Joseph called the name of the | | | | Pastor said in a soothing voice, "You know, I |
| firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath | | | | just don't think my church is doing enough to |
| made me forget…." | | | | help. Please allow me to add my personal |
| | | | check to this amount. I am sure you and your |
| Joseph had suffered many terrible injustices | | | | family can use it." |
| in his young life. His own brothers hated | | | | |
| him for no reason and sold him into slavery. | | | | As the Pastor wrote out another check, the |
| He was accused of a crime he did not commit. | | | | man fell under heavy conviction and wondered |
| He was thrown into prison for an undetermined | | | | what to say. Surely this Pastor was trying |
| amount of time. Surely Joseph could have | | | | to make him feel guilty. Surely this act of |
| been justifiably bitter. He could have | | | | kindness was nothing more than a ploy to work |
| lamented over all that had befallen him. He | | | | on his conscience. |
| could have resented that God allowed great | | | | |
| adversity and suffering in his life. | | | | While the man was pondering these things, the |
| | | | Pastor finished writing the check out and |
| Instead, Joseph reached down inside of | | | | handed both checks to him. The Pastor then |
| himself, where his faith was housed, and | | | | asked if he could pray for the family. The |
| found the strength to persevere. In faith, | | | | man knew that the prayer was going to be a |
| with a grateful heart, he named his son | | | | sermon in disguise about fairness and doing |
| Manasseh, which means "forgetting". He | | | | right, but he did not know how to say "no" |
| reasoned "for God…hath made me forget". | | | | after the kindness he was shown; and so he |
| The things that had befallen him could | | | | reluctantly acknowledged "sure, that would be |
| have weighed heavily on his heart, but God | | | | okay." |
| had given him grace to not only forgive the | | | | |
| wrongs that were done to him, but to forget | | | | The Pastor bowed his head and asked the |
| them. | | | | Lord's blessing upon the man, his family and |
| | | | their home. He asked the Lord to bless them |
| A Pastor I knew sold an automobile to a man. | | | | financially and to lead the church to know if |
| He received half the payment upfront, with | | | | there was anything else they could do for |
| the remainder to follow a month later. When | | | | them. He closed by asking the Lord to draw |
| he went to the man's house to receive the | | | | this family near to him. There was no |
| second and final installment, the man said "I | | | | mention of the automobile, no sermon, no |
| am not paying you another dime. I have the | | | | ulterior motive. It was as if the Pastor had |
| car and I am keeping it". He then slammed | | | | completely forgotten the wrong this man had |
| the door in the Pastor's face. | | | | done to him. |
| | | | |
| Several parishioners advised the Pastor to | | | | A few weeks later, the man and his family |
| take legal action. A lawyer friend offered | | | | came to visit the church that had paid their |
| to take the case to Small Claims Court | | | | debts. They heard the gospel message. They |
| without charging the Pastor for his services. | | | | heard how the Lord Jesus Christ had paid |
| The Pastor politely declined and explained | | | | another debt that they had not even known |
| that the few thousand dollars owed did not | | | | about. The whole family walked the aisle and |
| outweigh the worth of the man's soul and that | | | | received the Lord. |
| it was better to forgive and forget the debt | | | | |
| than to injure his Christian testimony to the | | | | Like Joseph, this Pastor had emulated his |
| man. | | | | Lord and added forgetfulness to his |
| | | | forgiveness. Had he held on to the terrible |
| Several months later, this Pastor was called | | | | injustice this man had done, he would never |
| upon to help a needy family in the community. | | | | have been able to be a witness to the love |
| It turned out to be the family of the man who | | | | and mercy of the Lord. By forgetting, God |
| had misappropriated his automobile. When | | | | was able to use him in a tremendous way |
| the door opened to the Pastor's knock, the | | | | |
| man immediately recognized him and expected | | | | Forgetting should be a word used often in the |
| that the Pastor might recognize him and turn | | | | Christian vocabulary. It is far better to |
| around and leave. | | | | forget and forgive than it is to remember and |
| | | | resent. |
| Instead, the humble man of God greeted him | | | | |