Genesis 14:16
“And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”

Abraham is often considered a great man because of his faith. There is no doubt that the faith of Abraham was great. Abraham was willing to leave his homeland, a land where he grew up and heard about the great works of God, to go to a land that he had never seen to see God’s great works through him.

However, there is another part of Abraham’s life that we find why God blessed him. The verse above says, “And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot…” Hold on; this was the Lot who strove with Abraham over the land not being big enough for the both of them. This was the Lot who was given everything he had because of Abraham. Lot was raised by Abraham because his parents died, and Lot showed no appreciation to Abraham for the kindness shown towards him. Yet, when Lot was taken captive, Abraham was willing to rescue him and bring him back, plus, give him all of his goods. Abraham could have brought Lot back and rightfully taken the goods to be his own, but he did not do that. The verse above could have said that Abraham brought back Lot, but it says more than that; it says that he brought back again “his brother Lot.”

A great attribute is revealed about Abraham in this verse, and that attribute is his ability to forgive and move on. Abraham didn’t hold grudges. Abraham realized that grudges and unforgiveness would only hurt one person, himself.

Let me ask you, who is it who has hurt you deeply? What face comes to mind when you think about how you invested in someone and they showed ingratitude instead of appreciation? You must realize that there must be great forgiveness in the individual who wants to have a great faith for God to use them. Faith is a forward vision; whereas, unforgiveness is a hindsight vision. You can’t live a life of faith without forgiveness. Forgiveness is saying that you are willing to move on for the better cause of faith. Forgiveness says that there is no reason to hang on to the hurts and ingratitude of others when faith can do so much more for you.

Let me ask you, what is it really going to help for the one who has hurt you or has been ungrateful towards you to get right with you? You have to understand that every day you wait for the person to apologize to you for what they have done is a wasted day of sitting in bitterness that could have been a day moving forward by faith.

Abraham realized that moving forward by faith took him further away from the hurt in his life. The reason he was willing to help his “brother Lot” was because he had moved on so far that the hurt was no longer an issue with him. You will find that living by faith is the key to being able to forgive. The more you step out by faith, the further faith will take you away from the hurt in your life. As long as you sit waiting for the one who hurt you to apologize or to be punished, the more the hurt becomes a cancer to your faith.

You have a choice; are you going to let the hurts of life destroy you, or are you going to move on by letting faith bring you away from the hurt to see God do great things in your life? You will find it easy to forgive if you will live the life of faith. Living the life of faith is the key to forgiveness.

Author: Allen Domelle