When you face hurts, you can find real comfort and guidance in Scripture. God's word reminds us that He is our refuge and strength, especially when things get tough.
Facing hurts with humility and forgiveness can truly heal your wounds and restore relationships. Loving your neighbor is a fundamental command, and that includes loving your enemies and blessing those who persecute you. I know it's a challenge, but it's part of what God calls us to as His followers.
The Bible teaches us that offenses are just a part of life. But it also encourages us to handle them in a way that honors God and leads to reconciliation. In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus gives us key instruction on forgiveness: "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?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’"
This passage tells me that Jesus wants us to have hearts that don't hold onto bitterness and resentment. He wants us to forgive others, just as our Heavenly Father has forgiven us.
For Christ also did not please himself, but as it is written, The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell upon me.
If therefore thou should bring thy gift to the altar, and remember there that thy brother has anything against thee,leave there thy gift before the altar, and go. First be reconciled to thy brother, and then, after coming, bring thy gift.
Hear, O our God, for we are despised, and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity,
Neither will I let thee hear any more the shame of the nations, nor shall thou bear the reproach of the peoples any more, nor shall thou cause thy nation to stumble any more, says lord LORD.
And become good toward each other, compassionate, forgiving each other, even as also God in Christ forgave us.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.
forbearing each other, and forgiving yourselves, if any man has a complaint against any, just as also the Christ forgave you, so also ye,
And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. And the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel in laying with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done.
And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the l
And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil, and the evil-doing of Nabal LORD has returned upon his ow
As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me; while they continually say to me, Where is thy God?
But if thy brother should sin against thee, go and reprove him between thee and him alone. If he should hear thee, thou have gained thy brother.
not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but instead giving praise, knowing that ye were called for this, so that ye might inherit a blessing.
For the zeal of thy house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach thee have fallen upon me.
Thou know my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor. My adversaries are all before thee.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Let us not therefore criticize each other any more, but judge ye this instead, not to place a stumbling block to the brother, or a snare.
Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness. And I looked for some to take pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.
Take heed to yourselves. And if thy brother should sin against thee, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.And if he should sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times in the day turn back, saying, I repent, thou will forgive him.
and render to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached thee, O LORD,
Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.For the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.
Do not criticize, that ye may not be criticized.For by what criticism ye criticize, ye will be criticized, and by what measure ye measure, it will be measured to you.
He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates chief friends.
The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
Cast out the scoffer, and contention will go out, yea, strife and reproach will cease.
It is good not to eat meats, nor to drink wine, nor in whatever thy brother stumbles against, or is caused to stumble, or becomes weak.
They say, If a man puts away his wife, and she goes from him, and become another man's, will he return to her again? Will not that land be greatly polluted? But thou have played the harlot with many lovers. Yet return again to me,
Let him give his cheek to him who smites him. Let him be filled full with reproach.
And the king shall do according to his will. And he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods. And he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished, for
I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the sons of Ammon, with which they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.
Then the high priest tore his garments, saying, He has blasphemed. What further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now ye heard his blasphemy.
in nothing according to selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility considering each other surpassing yourselves.Look ye out (each man) not to things of yourselves, but each man also to the things of others.
And above all having fervent love for yourselves, because love will cover a multitude of sins,
The Jews answered him, saying, We stone thee not about a good work, but about blasphemy, and because thou, being a man, make thyself God.
There is he who speaks rashly like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is health.
Then Peter having come to him, he said, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?Jesus says to him, I say to thee, not until seven times, but until seventy times seven.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and reviling be taken away from you, with all evil.
So then we should pursue the things of peace, and the things of constructiveness for each other.
It does not behave improperly, does not seek the things of itself, is not made sharp, does not contemplate evil,
Put on therefore, as chosen men of God, holy and beloved, bowels of compassion, kindness, humility, mildness, longsuffering,forbearing each other, and forgiving yourselves, if any man has a complaint against any, just as also the Christ forgave you, so also ye,
Therefore, having put off all evil and all deceit and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speaking,
The beginning of strife is [like] letting out water. Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.
All things therefore, as many as ye may want that men should do to you, so also do ye to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
But if ye bite and devour each other, watch out that ye be not consumed by each other.
And walk in love, as also the Christ loved us, and delivered himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma.
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord.
See that not any man repays evil for evil to any man, but always pursue the good, both for each other and for all.
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarrelling.
Beloved, we should love each other. Because love is of God, and every man who loves has been begotten of God, and knows God.He who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Now we the strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the frail, and not to please ourselves.Let each of us please his neighbor for what is good toward edification.
He who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding holds his peace.
But the wisdom from above is indeed first pure, then peaceful, meek, easily entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and non-hypocritical.And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace to those who make peace.
rendering to no man evil for evil, premeditating things right in the sight of all men.If possible from you, keeping peace with all men,not avenging yourselves, beloved, but give place to wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is for me, I will repay, says Lord.
A brother offended [is harder to be won] than a strong city, and [such] contentions are like the bars of a castle.
Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.But I say to you, not to resist what is troublesome, but whoever will strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Say not, I will do so to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.
Let no corrupt speech go out of your mouth, rather if there is any good word for edification of a need, so that it may give grace to those who hear.
but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. And always be ready for a defense to every man who asks you a word about the hope in you, with mildness and fear.Having a good conscience, so that, in what they speak against you as of evil-doers, they may be ashamed, those who revile your good behavior in Christ.
your speech always with grace seasoned with salt, to know how it is fitting for you to answer each one.
And brothers, if a man is overtaken in some transgression, ye the spiritual, restore such in a spirit of meekness, looking to thyself lest thou also be tempted.
But to whom ye forgive anything, I too. For I also, whom I have forgiven (if anything), I have forgiven because of you in the presence of Christ,so that we may not be exploited by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his methods.
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
If any man among you seems to be religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, this man's religion is futile.
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.
For he who wants to love life, and see good days, let him restrain his tongue from evil, and his lips not to speak deceit.Let him turn away from evil, and do good. Let him seek peace, and pursue it.
LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.He will not always chide, nor will he keep [it] forever.He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks. For it is necessary that the stumbling-blocks come, yet woe to that man through whom the stumbling-block comes.
But take heed lest somehow this privilege of yours becomes a stumbling-block to those who are weak.
And he said to his disciples, It is impossible for the stumbling-blocks not to come, but woe to him through whom they come!
Therefore if food causes my brother to stumble, I will no, not eat meat into the age, so that I may not cause my brother to stumble.
But whoever may cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is advantageous for him that a donkey-powered millstone were hanged on his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
A man of great wrath shall bear the penalty, for if thou deliver [him], thou must do it yet again.
But I say to you, that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they will render account about it in the day of judgment.For from thy words thou will be justified, and from thy words thou will be condemned.
Now therefore it is indeed altogether a defeat for you because ye have legal disputes against yourselves. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?Instead ye do wrong, and defraud, and these things to brothers.
And ye fathers, do not exasperate your children, but rear them in the training and admonition of Lord.
Blessed are ye when they revile you, and persecute you, and say every evil word, being deceitful against you because of me.
Do not grumble, brothers, against each other, so that ye not be judged. Behold, the judge stands before the doors.
He who is slow to anger is of great understanding, but he who is hasty of spirit exalts folly.
with all humility and mildness, with longsuffering, forbearing each other in love.Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,
Transgression is not lacking in the multitude of words, but he who refrains his lips does wisely.
All things are permitted for me, but not all things are expedient. All things are permitted for me, but not all things are constructive.Let not one man seek that of himself, but each man that of the other.
But why do thou criticize thy brother? Or also why do thou disdain thy brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Who, being reviled, did not revile in return. Suffering, he did not threaten, but yielded to him who judges righteously.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it shall eat the fruit of it.
A new commandment I give to you, that ye should love each other, just as I loved you, so that ye also should love each other.By this all men will know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love among each other.