Generous Forgiveness
How quick are you to forgive? Are you generous with your forgiveness, or does it take you a few days or weeks? Hopefully, not months. I'm not going to beat around the bush with you. I struggle with this. I remember the first time I heard the parable of the debtor because it shook me. My natural lean is to expect forgiveness from others but to be very slow to give it back.
When Jesus was teaching Peter about forgiveness in Matthew 18, He told the parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. The debtor owed millions of dollars to the King and begged for him to forgive his debt instead of selling him off along with his wife and children. The King took pity on him and forgave his debt. But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a couple thousand dollars and demanded to be paid. He threw the man in prison until he could repay the debt in full. The King heard about this and immediately asked, “Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I have had mercy on you?”
“Problems and trials develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. This hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us. Because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” Romans 5:3-5
I fully believe that God uses opportunities to forgive to build our character and that He turns the trials we walk through around for good. He cares about you so much that He will let you walk through those hard conversations, that little bit of fire, just so you can come out the other side a little bit more strengthened.
ACTIVATION: Is there someone the Holy Spirit is bringing to your mind that you may need to forgive? Allow God to show you His perspective
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for strengthening me. Help me to be quick to forgive Your people. Make me compassionate. I want to love people like You love people. Thank You for turning the hard things into lessons. Help me to be generous with my forgiveness and not hold back.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” - Ephesians 4:32 NIV
When Jesus was teaching Peter about forgiveness in Matthew 18, He told the parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. The debtor owed millions of dollars to the King and begged for him to forgive his debt instead of selling him off along with his wife and children. The King took pity on him and forgave his debt. But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a couple thousand dollars and demanded to be paid. He threw the man in prison until he could repay the debt in full. The King heard about this and immediately asked, “Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I have had mercy on you?”
“Problems and trials develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. This hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us. Because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” Romans 5:3-5
I fully believe that God uses opportunities to forgive to build our character and that He turns the trials we walk through around for good. He cares about you so much that He will let you walk through those hard conversations, that little bit of fire, just so you can come out the other side a little bit more strengthened.
ACTIVATION: Is there someone the Holy Spirit is bringing to your mind that you may need to forgive? Allow God to show you His perspective
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for strengthening me. Help me to be quick to forgive Your people. Make me compassionate. I want to love people like You love people. Thank You for turning the hard things into lessons. Help me to be generous with my forgiveness and not hold back.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” - Ephesians 4:32 NIV
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1 Comment
Forgiveness is not an easy process when someone you love hurts you deep to your core. I've been wrestling with feeling like I've forgiven someone who hurt me over the last 9 months. Some days I feel like I've forgiven this person and then other days come and I feel a flood of emotion when I think of how this person treated me. I'm learning forgiveness can be a process. The past 3 months I've gotten plugged in at open door church and each sermon series and message(no matter who spoke) the Holy Spirit spoke to me about forgiveness, perseverance, my faith being strengthened through hardship. Ultimately I know when I give forgiveness I make room for Jesus to do what only he can do. And I want what he wants more than what I want. So thank you Jesus for forgiveness and thank you open door staff for letting the lord use you through the sermon series and devotionals. Blessings- Michael