February 17, 2023

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Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31).

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2).

Before writing my Devotional Thought for today, as I do every day, I have my time with the Lord. This morning was unique because the Scripture I read in my time with the Lord fit perfectly with the topic on which I was going to write my Devotional Thought. That subject is "Forgiveness no matter what."

During a men’s conference a few years back, I recall one of the speakers talking on the subject of forgiveness. For his example, he used an event that occurred after he preached a message. Please forgive me as I try to recall what the speaker said. Here it goes!

I preached at a church that had two services back-to-back. At the end of my first message, the Deacons escorted me to a room where I could refresh before preaching the next service. My message was about forgiveness. Before I could leave the sanctuary, a lady rushed over to me, crying bitterly. She asked if she could speak with me. As the Deacons tried rushing me along, I stopped, turned to the lady, and asked her what was happening. She told me, ‘I hate him, I hate him.’ I asked her whom she hated. She said, ‘I hate the man who killed my daughter.’ I didn’t ask for details; I just told her she had to forgive him. She said, ‘I couldn’t.’ I replied, ‘Yes, you can, you don’t want to. God cannot forgive you if you cannot forgive him’ As the tears ran down her face, I could see she was in a terrible state. I asked her, ‘Will you do it?’ She didn’t want to hear that, but she said she would. I invited her to pray with me, “Dear Heavenly Father, I forgive (I told her to say his name).”

As she prayed, she gritted her teeth and said she couldn’t say his name. ‘You can, and you have to,’ I said. ‘I forgive John,’ she said and then passed out. As she lay there, a smile came over her face. She was finally at peace. After the Deacons and I picked her up from the floor, she dusted herself off and walked away totally transformed.

Friends, what an example of forgiveness that is. Could you forgive a person that hurt you as this lady did? As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we are all called to be imitators of God, to forgive others as He has forgiven us, and to walk in love as Christ has loved us. Would you pray with me? 

Dear Heavenly Father, there are times when it is hard to forgive, especially when I have been so badly hurt. Please help me during these times to turn to You. You are my strength; You are my Strong Tower. Only as I imitate You and walk in love as Christ loves me can I forgive. Please help me, Father, forgive (say the person’s name). For it is Your Precious Name, I ask. Amen.

Encouraging Words from A.W. Tozer: God loves you not because you are worthy, but because He is God and you are a fixture in His Mind.

God Bless you, Friends, and may you have a Blessed Day <>< 

Thoughts by Randall Stapleton is a Daily Devotion brought to you by The Bridge - Learn more at https://wearethebridge.org

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