Ephesians4verse31-32: ‘V31- Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: V32- And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Dearly beloved, forgiveness is such a very important virtue in any meaningful relationship, especially marriage. And how you choose to respond to this virtue will determine a lot of things in your home. This is why you need to accord forgiveness its rightful place in your marriage. I trust that the stuff I have been sharing with you for some time now has been of great help to you. So why is forgiveness this important in marriage? Why is forgiveness necessary in a marriage? I would like us to look at some key reasons now:

1. Forgiveness strengthens the love in a marriage. Forgiveness is a form of love in action; you can’t go far in your marriage without it.

2. Forgiveness sets you free. How does this happen? By releasing the offender and also releasing the one who was hurt. So, in essence, forgiveness frees you from the burden of resentment and bitterness.

3. Forgiveness keeps an open line of communication between you and your spouse and you and God. This is vital in our marriage if you want to keep receiving answers to your prayers and progress in your endeavours. 1Pet3v7.

4. Forgiveness allows your heart to remain soft, encouraging open communication, love and respect in your relationship. This is one of the immense benefits of forgiveness that you can’t afford to pass up, if you want to make progress in your marriage. So, my dear reader, make forgiveness a core part of your relationship.

5. It improves your spiritual, mental and physical health. I am sure you are wondering what forgiveness has gotten to do with all this. The truth of the matter is that from scientific research, it has been proven that there is a link or connection between forgiveness and our general well-being and health. This is also true from the evidence we have from the scriptures. Rom15v4.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, give no place to unforgiveness in your home! By every possible means, make forgiveness your watch word!

Other Scriptural References: Matt18v23-35; 1Jn3v18; Jn15v12.

Prayer for Today: Lord, I renew my commitment to forgiveness today, so help me, Holy Spirit!

CONFESSION: Forgiveness is divine and a good thing. Therefore, I choose forgiveness above bitterness and resentment! I choose to make forgiveness a core part of my relationship with my spouse. This is my prayer and desire in Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Yemi Adeoti

Yemi Adeoti is a pastor, teacher, life coach and mentor & also a prolific writer.