Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Matthew West singing … Forgiveness … poignantly declaring in song our desire to be like Christ in His willingness to forgive us as we attempt to do what at times seems impossible … to forgive those who’ve sinned us.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 23:34 … [NLT] …
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
… Forgiveness which we should emulate.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 23:32-34 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ forgiveness from the cross.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Matthew 6:12 [NLT] …
12 … and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven this who sin against us. …
… Jesus teaching on how to pray, includes praying about forgiving others … just as He would ultimately forgive sinners on the cross.
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Matthew 18:21-23[NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus teaches Peter (and us) that our forgiveness should be unlimited.
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Philippians 2:5 [NLT] …
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
… Paul teaching that our attitude, as Christians, should be like that of Christ. And are we like Him in our attitude toward forgiveness?
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, used a personal story to illustrate our need to forgive others as Jesus modeled on the cross. The ODB author wrote: When a friend betrayed me, I knew I would need to forgive her, but I wasn’t sure that I could. Her words pierced deeply inside me, and I felt stunned with pain and anger. Although we talked about it and I told her I forgave her, for a long time whenever I’d see her I felt tinges of hurt, so I knew I still clung to some resentment. One day, however, God answered my prayers and gave me the ability to let go completely. I was finally free.
At one point in his ministry years, the Apostle Paul, in writing to Christians, exhorted them to have (or develop) the same attitude as Christ (see Philippians 2:5); and what was Jesus’ attitude toward forgivingness? … Well, we can see His desire to have his disciples (and that’s us, my friends!) pray about forgiving others (see Matt. 6:12). And He even taught Peter that our forgiveness of others who’ve sinned against us should be unlimited (see Matt. 18:21-23).
Well, I hope my fellow readers here don’t have any unresolved issues of forgiveness that we need to care of today. Because if we do, God’s word above, and the charge of today’s song, should exhort us to do all we can to pray for a Christlike forgiving spirit; and to do all we can TODAY to forgive others the way our Lord forgave us on the cross [see the photo].
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … King Jesus, … Help me to have Your Spirit of forgiveness. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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