纳尔逊·曼德拉曾勇敢地反对南非的种族隔离制度。这种行为导致了他被错误地定罪，并因为政敌而被判入狱。在他离开监狱时，他说：“当我站在自由之门前时，我意识到，如果我不把痛苦、愤怒和怨恨抛在脑后，我将永远活在监牢里”。
自我囚禁比强加给你的囚禁更糟糕。许多人因为拒绝饶恕而遭受自我囚禁之苦。但是，愤怒和怨恨的围墙并不会让我们变得强大，相反，它会让我们痛苦不堪。
纳尔逊·曼德拉后来当了国家总统，他没有建立胜利者的法律。他没有向政敌报复，而是饶恕了所有人。电影《成事在人》的灵感就来源于他的事迹，展现了饶恕的力量。
耶稣教导我们要爱我们的仇敌，他甚至为他的仇敌——也就是我们所有人——而死。基督对我们的怜悯是深不可测的；他饶恕了我们所有人，并为我们而死。这种爱也促使我们去饶恕他人对我们的过错。主能够帮助我们宽恕一切。
你是否意识到自己每天都需要神的饶恕？为什么你认为饶恕他人很难？神今天呼召你去饶恕谁呢？
天父，感谢你在基督耶稣里饶恕了我们。请帮助我们为耶稣的缘故，成为仁慈、宽容和富有同情心的人。阿们。
马太福音 18:21-35
21那时，彼得进前来，对耶稣说：“主啊，我弟兄得罪我，我当饶恕他几次呢？到七次可以吗？”
22耶稣说：“我对你说，不是到七次，乃是到七十个七次。
23天国好像一个王要和他仆人算帐。
24才算的时候，有人带了一个欠一千万银子的来。
25因为他没有什么偿还之物，主人吩咐把他和他妻子儿女并一切所有的都卖了偿还。
26那仆人就俯伏拜他，说：‘主啊，宽容我！将来我都要还清。’
27那仆人的主人就动了慈心，把他释放了，并且免了他的债。
28“那仆人出来，遇见他的一个同伴欠他十两银子，便揪着他，掐住他的喉咙，说：‘你把所欠的还我！’
29他的同伴就俯伏央求他，说：‘宽容我吧！将来我必还清。’
30他不肯，竟去把他下在监里，等他还了所欠的债。
31众同伴看见他所做的事，就甚忧愁，去把这事都告诉了主人。
32于是主人叫了他来，对他说：‘你这恶奴才！你央求我，我就把你所欠的都免了。
33你不应当怜恤你的同伴，像我怜恤你吗？’
34主人就大怒，把他交给掌刑的，等他还清了所欠的债。
35你们各人若不从心里饶恕你的弟兄，我天父也要这样待你们了。”
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." - Ephesians 4:32
Nelson Mandela courageously fought against apartheid in South Africa. His actions led to wrongful convictions and time in prison because of political enemies. As he was leaving prison, he was quoted as saying, “As I stand at the door of my freedom, I realize that if I don't leave my pain, anger, and bitterness behind, I will always be in prison.”
Self-imprisonment is worse than the imprisonment that is imposed on you. Many people suffer from self-imposed prisons by refusing to forgive. But the inner walls of anger and resentment do not make us strong; instead, they make us bitter and miserable.
When Nelson Mandela later came to power as the president of his country, he did not establish the law of the victor. Rather than seeking revenge against his political enemies, he showed forgiveness to all. The film Invictus, inspired by his actions, shows the power of forgiveness.
Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, and he even died for his enemies—that is, all of us. Christ's compassion for us is incomprehensible; he showed it by forgiving us all and dying for us. This love also moves us to forgive others for their faults against us. The Lord can help us to forgive everything.
Are you aware of your daily need for God’s forgiveness? Why do you think it’s difficult to forgive others? To whom is God calling you to offer forgiveness today?
Father, thank you for the forgiveness you offer us in Christ Jesus. Help us to be gracious, forgiving, and compassionate for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
