Day 14 — Forgive as He Forgave

“Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

— Colossians 3:13 (BSB)

Yesterday we learned that we should keep forgiving. Today we’ll look at how: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

How did the Lord forgive you?

He forgave you completely. Remember Psalm 103? He removed your sins “as far as the east is from the west.” He doesn’t hold on to a little bit of them just in case.

He forgave you before you deserved it. Romans 5:8 says Christ died for us “while we were still sinners.” He didn’t wait for us to get our act together.

He forgave you at great cost. Forgiveness wasn’t free for God. It cost Jesus His life on the cross.

He doesn’t keep bringing it up. When God forgives, He doesn’t throw your sins back in your face every time you mess up.

Jesus showed us what this looks like. While He hung on the cross, in terrible pain, with people mocking Him, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

That’s the kind of forgiveness God wants to grow in us. And honestly, it’s impossible to do on our own! When someone really hurts us, everything inside wants to hurt them back. That’s why we need God’s help.

Here are some steps that can help:

• Be honest with God. Tell Him how much it hurt. He can handle your feelings.
• Remember how you’ve been forgiven. Think about how much God has forgiven you.
• Choose to forgive. Forgiveness is a choice before it’s a feeling. You can say, “God, I choose to forgive them,” even if you don’t feel like it yet.
• Pray for them. It’s really hard to stay bitter at someone you’re praying for.
• Keep choosing. Sometimes the hurt comes back. When it does, choose to forgive again.

Remember, forgiving someone doesn’t mean you have to pretend nothing happened, or that you should keep being around someone who is unsafe. If someone is hurting you, tell a trusted adult. You can forgive someone and still stay safe.

“Bear with one another” means to be patient with people’s weaknesses and annoying habits, the way God is patient with ours.

Think about it: Which part of how God forgave you is hardest for you to do for others?

Try this: Think of someone who has hurt you. Say out loud, “God, I choose to forgive [name].” Then pray one kind thing for them.

Dear Lord, You forgave me completely, before I deserved it, at great cost. Help me forgive others the same way. When it’s hard, remind me how much You have forgiven me. Help me choose to forgive, even before I feel like it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.