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The sounds of hammers, sanders, and saws were now just a faint memory.
Years ago, the old house had been a beautiful part of the town. A wealthy man bought it with the promise of restoring it. He and his crew set to work, and the town was abuzz with chatter about what it would look like when they were finished. They stripped away the old wallpaper, sanded the original wood floors, and removed all the old tile in the kitchen.
But one day, the crew just stopped coming. The house remained in disrepair. It was worse than when they had started the restoration process. The weeds began to grow around the old house. Sawhorses with boards leaning on them were still left in the yard.
Every time people passed by that old house, they shook their heads and said, “What a shame.” Yet, no one was willing to invest in the restoration.
2 Corinthians 2:5–8
“I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. 6 Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7 Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. 8 So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.”
At some point, the church had disciplined a man for wrongdoing. The man did what he was supposed to do—he repented. But the church hadn’t.
It was as if the restoration process had begun, but without cooperation on the church’s part, the work couldn’t move forward.
The church needed to forgive, accept his apology, and comfort him. Yet, they withheld what this man truly needed.
The purpose behind church discipline should always be forgiveness and restoration—not to destroy a person.
Even when forgiveness is hard, it should always be the end result. Otherwise, Satan gains a foothold in your life.
Matthew 18:21–22
“21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’
22 Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”
Don’t leave a house unrestored. Invest in it. Bring it back to life. Pour your heart into it, and the results will be breathtaking.
When someone repents, forgive, restore, and comfort.
And when they don’t…
You can still follow Jesus’ example and forgive them. It may not restore the relationship, but it certainly aligns your heart and motives with Christ.
Want to learn more about following Christ and His example? Go to follow.lifeword.org or, in Spanish, at follow.lifeword.org/spanish.
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