Today's is gonna be a continuation off of last episode, speaking the truth to one another, but at the very end, in the letter to Ephesians that I was reading, we are to forgive one another as God in Christ has forgiven us. Why should we even think about forgiving? I mean, if I, if I'm just gonna yolo, if I'm just gonna take care of myself, you know, you only live once.

Kinda seems pretty selfish, and I know that I can fall into that trap. So let's consider how we should forgive one another. So what does forgiveness look like? What does forgiveness not look like? Well, here's an example and it's gonna hit home to a lot of you, man.

A shift. Oh, they loaded the hose the wrong way. They put the loops on the wrong side, man. What are those guys doing? I'm working here today. I'm actually filling in for you guys, and we didn't really load it that way. It was actually there before we got here [00:01:00] when we came on tour. Oh, I, I really wasn't trying to direct right to you.

It's just that this seems to almost always happen and a shift. They're always. Doing things so different than everybody else? Well, actually, there've been some times when we've come on duty and things were at a particular way on the vehicle. The medical equipment wasn't put back in a particular way, and C shift said it was that way when they came on.

Well, I wasn't really meaning you. I mean, if I offended you, I'm sorry. You know. Forgive me if I offended you. Well, you were talking about a shift. I'm on a shift, and so you really were saying those things about me and my crew. Well, I didn't mean to offend you. I mean, come on. Can't you take a joke? All truth be told, we've probably been in a situation like that and I hope this hit home.

Why is that little exchange between an A shifter and a B shifter wrong? It's because it's self-centered. It's selfish. There really wasn't an apology. Forgiveness wasn't requested. I [00:02:00] mean, it wasn't asked. Forgiveness wasn't extended, so it's really just empty words.

And you really didn't address the heart condition at hand.

So for us, the method of how to forgive one another is actually found in Matthew Chapter 18 because people are going to hurt us. People are gonna sin against us, people are going to stab us in the back. And in that example, Christ says, if a brother has sinned against you, go to the individual in private.

And talk about it. There's also a parallel that fits into this of when in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter six, Christ is saying, when you know that you've sinned against your brother, leave the offering at the altar. Leave it, go and make amends with he or she, whoever it is that you've sinned against.

Then come back [00:03:00] and present the offering. So marrying those two things apart or together, we need to consider who it is, how it is, and why it is that we've offended somebody. And when we know that we have in obedience, go to the individual. Or if they don't, then you. As a, in a humble, in a respectful manner, go to that individual and make amends.

Now, if they don't, it says to bring somebody with you. So that you can try and win the brother back, and when you do run the win, the brother back there is unity, there's comradery, there is forgiveness, and there is love. So your homework for these next couple weeks is to think of people either in your family at the station, in your community, wherever it might be, that you know that you.

I probably [00:04:00] sinned against them. You said something. You did something that was offensive to them. Regardless if you think it was or not, think of those individuals. Go to those individuals and ask for forgiveness. Be humble. Be low in spirit. When I say low in spirit, you want to be the one who's coming and asking for mercy.

And in doing so, if they respond back in love and kindness to forgive one another, you've won the battle, you've won the relationship. And not because you need anything, because you have given an opportunity to grow together, to mend those relationships and to be closer to one another. Christ himself has even said that he did not come to serve.

But to serve one another, which is where we're gonna go next week. So I'm praying for you, continue to be safe out there. Grateful that you're here. God bless.