Day 2
Forget About It
“(Love)…keeps no record of wrongs” (I
Corinthians 13:5). Keeping no record of
wrongs is, like so much of Christian life, contrary to our nature. It requires forgiveness. That doesn’t mean saying a few words, and
still having your stomach churn every time you see the other person or think of
the event. Rather, this involves
Jesus-inspired, Spirit-enabled forgiveness, sincere, deep, from the heart. Not unlike God’s forgiveness of your wrongs.
Jesus took forgiveness seriously, as
evidenced by His forgiveness of those who played a part in His crucifixion
(Luke 23:34). He made it clear that He
holds us to that same standard. Jesus
taught that anyone who is angry with someone else is liable to judgment and
that before offering a gift to God, we are first to leave the altar, reconcile
(easier said than done), then return and offer the gift (Matthew 5:22-23). Give a little thought to which the Lord appreciates
more: reconciliation or (pick one):
giving money, teaching Sunday School, serving on a committee, etc. Do you honor God by giving Him what He says
He wants, or do
you ignore the tough commands and substitute service in hopes
the Lord won’t notice?
When we read the New Testament (the
gospels or the epistles, the message is the same) the burden is put squarely on
us to forgive, to move the situation off center. Even if the other person won’t cooperate,
please remember that relationships on earth aren’t just between us and the
other person. They also involve God.
While we may think we lack the ability to
“keep no record of wrongs”, do we really believe God will require something of
us that He won’t equip us to do? As
Christians, it is utterly unimportant whether we are right and the other person
is wrong. What is important is that we surrender the situation to the Lord and
honor Him by doing what we might think we are incapable of doing.
“I can do all things through Christ, who
strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). As
with all Scripture, either those words are true or they’re not. If someone looked at your life, or mine, and
specifically in the area of true forgiveness, what
conclusion would they draw about God’s ability to work in and through us?
Forgive as God in Christ has forgiven you
(Ephesians 4:32). How has God forgiven
you in Christ, and how does this empower you to love instead of keep a record
of wrongs?
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Jesus on the
Cross prayed Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing
(Luke 23:34)
Reflect on this
Scripture. What can we learn about
forgiving from Jesus’ amazing words of forgiveness?
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Based on the devotional, write out a prayer for today:
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