All Aspects of ForgivenessНамуна

Day 3: Forgiving Others as God Forgives

Scripture: Ephesians 4:31-32

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Forgiveness is not just a nice idea—it’s a command. Paul tells us to “get rid” of bitterness and anger You'll notice he didn't say if you like... or If you feel like it... The command was pretty up in your face "GET RID OF IT, throw it out"

That means we have a choice: We can hold onto resentment, or we can let it go.

Have you heard the Matthew West song "Forgiveness"? What a story this is... The song was inspired by the true story of Renee Napier, whose daughter, Meagan, was killed by a drunk driver (Eric), in 2002. Despite her immense grief, Renee chose to forgive Eric and even advocated for his early release from prison. Her act of grace transformed both their lives, showing the power of forgiveness. Matthew West wrote the song after hearing her story, capturing the life-changing impact of letting go of bitterness.

But how do we do this? The key is in the second part of the verse: “Just as Christ forgave you.” We don’t forgive because people deserve it. We forgive because we’ve been forgiven first. We can't sit here and accuse other people of sinning when we are not squeaky clean ourselves - the only difference is we have been cleared of our shortfalls! So we now have a choice to make.

Bitterness is a heavy burden. When we release it, we make space for God’s peace. If there’s someone you need to forgive, ask God to help you take that step today.