Daily Devotional
Are You Seeking to Restore Relationships?
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:31-32
September 8, 2023
Ponder This
Don’t forgive after you have collected your revenge. Sometimes people hurt us, and we say, “They don’t know how much they hurt me. I’m going to teach them how much I’ve been hurt. I’m going to blame them; I’m going to castigate them; and I’m going to make them suffer. And after they’ve suffered, after they’ve wept, after they’ve pleaded, after they’ve bled, after I’ve gotten my pound of flesh—then perhaps I’ll forgive.” Has anybody ever treated you that way and then finally said, “OK, I’ll forgive you”? What do you feel like saying? You don’t need to be forgiven. You’ve already paid. Followers of Jesus are called to forgive freely. You should be so anxious to forgive people that you chase them and catch them to forgive them.
Isn’t that what God has done for us? Why do we love Him? Because He first loved us. When Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, God did not sit up in Heaven and say, “Well, I’m going to wait, and if they come to me, I might be persuaded to forgive them.” God came to the garden and God said, “Adam, where are you?” That wasn’t the voice of a detective. That was the voice of a brokenhearted God who was seeking someone who had sinned against Him to forgive him freely.
- Who do you need to forgive today?
- What does it look like to be eager to forgive? How can you forgive even when full reconciliation is not possible?
Practice This
Consider if there is anyone you are holding a grudge against. Ask the Lord to help you forgive that person freely today.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
