Day 13: Forgiveness
Application
Are you holding on to an offense today? Have you been nursing a grudge or treating someone according to their sins against you? Jesus invites you into deeper intimacy with Him today.
Look to Jesus and hear Him calling you to fellowship with Him in His sufferings, to become like Him in His death (Philippians 3:10). Look to Jesus and remember how great a sin debt that He has forgiven you. See the blood that He shed. Look into His loving eyes as He willingly sacrifices Himself to save you. See His blood that covers a multitude of sins - yours and your offenders.
Now out of the abundance of love and forgiveness that you have received, follow Christ and die to yourself. Forgive your offender before God as God has forgiven you in Christ Jesus and experience the sweetness of entrusting yourself to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). Experience the power of Christ’s resurrection as you extend forgiveness to those who have sinned against you.
In the following podcast, Mike and Jody Cleveland discuss this important topic of forgiveness and what it means to forgive others as we have been forgiven in Christ.
Question: Who is God leading you to forgive as you have been forgiven today?
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Kyle writes, "I believe oftentimes we are offended over things that really aren't that big of a deal in the first place. I can see most of the times I've been offended, the person never intended any harm whatsoever. And by taking that approach, it's easier to forgive them or not get offended in the first place. Of course, that's not to say there haven't been times someone meant harm in their actions to me; however, we have to understand that if we want forgiveness for our wrong actions, then we have to forgive others."
Bill writes, "For me, the Lord has been gracious, and by His grace, there is no one whom I have not forgiven. But I need to continue to go to the Cross and continue to have the blood cover my daily sins. The more I come to the Cross, the more I realize the depth of my sin and the extent of God's love for me. The Lord's prayer says, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:12 NKJV) If I am unable to forgive others, it seems the Lord will not forgive me because I am still holding onto the sin and the "debt" they own me. And then there is that parable that illustrates this. (Matthew 18:21-35) If I am unable to forgive another person, it is an indication that I have never been forgiven and am still in my sin."