Forgive As the Lord Forgave You
Today's Daily Devotion - April 7, 2022
By Khai Samante
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” - Colossians 3:13
Read Colossians 3:1-17
“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” However, forgiving is not all the time easy. The level of pain committed against us can influence how easily we forgive. There are some aches and pains in our lives that are difficult to overcome. It could be something as simple as ignoring us or as serious as a spouse betraying us. We harbor resentment, hatred, and bitterness toward those who have wronged us.
So, how can we forgive? Where can we find the strength to forgive? Jesus Christ. The answer is what Jesus did on the cross. Because we have a new identity in Christ, we can forgive. Our duty as God’s chosen people is to dress in compassion, love, humility, gentleness, and patience. If any of us have a grudge against someone, we must endure with each other and forgive one another. We are to forgive as the Lord forgave us. And we’re to put on love, which brings everything together in perfect unison.
A quote from Lewis B. Smedes says, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Yes, it is hard to forgive, but unforgiveness hurts even more. Forgiveness sets us free.
When we forgive, we forgive ourselves.