Seek FirstSample

Seek First Through Forgiveness

When was the last time you truly forgave someone?

Jesus tells a parable about a servant who was forgiven a massive debt - but when he meets someone who owes him a lot less, he refuses to show them the same forgiveness. This seems ridiculous, doesn’t it? Why wouldn’t he show others the mercy he just received?

That’s often us. We all do things we shouldn’t, but when Jesus died on the cross, it meant everything we’ve done and will ever do, has been forgiven. However, we still refuse to forgive others for much smaller things like jumping the queue or giving us a dirty look.

When we follow Jesus, we are called to live the way he lives, love the way he loves, and forgive the way he forgives.

But how do we actually do it?

Tip 1: Don’t wait. In Matthew 5:23-24, Jesus tells us to fix our relationships with others before bringing him an offering. Forgiveness was his priority, so why not be the first to act?

Tip 2: Make a habit out of forgiveness. Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer, teaches us to pray, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” (Matthew 6:12 NLT) This is a prayer we are taught to make a habit out of, so we must also make a habit out of forgiveness.

Tip 3: Mean what you say. It’s easy to say “apology accepted” without meaning it. Matthew 18 tells us to forgive from the heart - we don’t just want to say nice empty words, it needs to be an internal change so that we can move on as well.

Questions

When did you last feel wronged by someone? Does it still bother you?

Have you ever asked God to help you forgive them?

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for paying my debt on the cross. Please show me where I need to forgive and help me as I put it into practice. Amen.