A question flashes through my head as I write these words: can our minds actually allow us to forget? The way God has made us with that internal filing system we call “memory”—it is doubtful we can fully forget.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Forgiveness
Forgiving and Forgetting
“I’ll forgive . . . but I’ll never forget.” We say and hear that so much that it’s easy to shrug it off as “only natural.” That’s the problem! It is the most natural response we can expect. Not supernatural.
Read MoreHow to Make Forgiveness Happen
There is enough in the past few days’ worth of devotionals to keep us thinking (and forgiving) for weeks. But there are a couple of specific applications that need to be considered.
Read MoreWhen You Are the Offended, Part 2
Yesterday we read Jesus’s parable of the king who forgave his servant—who then refused to forgive a fellow-servant. From this parable, we learned that to refuse to forgive is hypocritical. But there’s a second lesson.
Read MoreWhen You Are the Offended, Part 1
Over the past few days, we have examined Jesus’s words to us when we have offended someone. Tough steps . . . yet essential. But what about when someone offends us? The apostle Peter asked Jesus a similar question.
Read MoreWhen You Are the Offender, Part 2
Let’s say you’ve mustered the courage to approach someone you’ve offended. You’ve confessed what you did with sincerity. You’ve asked for forgiveness. But he or she refuses to forgive you. Now what?
Read MoreWhen You Are the Offender, Part 1
Matthew 5:23–24 describes in a nutshell the correct response and procedure to follow when we have been in the wrong and have offended someone.
Read MoreA Reason to Forgive
When wrong has been done against another person, there are only two possibilities of blame. But whether we are responsible for the offense or we are the recipients of it, the first move is always ours.
Read MoreGod’s Forgiveness of Us
Truth be told, it’s God’s forgiveness of us that makes possible our forgiving others. When on the cross Jesus Christ paid in full the penalty of our sin, God’s wrath was expressed against Him—the One who took our place.
Read MoreGod’s Required Course: Forgiveness
This is a true story, told to me by a young seminary student I met years ago. I’ll call him Aaron (not his real name). Late one spring Aaron was praying about having a significant ministry the following summer.
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