Daily Devotions
Poor Peter. He probably thought Jesus would be so impressed with him, forgiving seven times! After all, most people figured three times was plenty.
But the truth is, it really doesn’t matter whether Jesus says “seven times” or “seventy times seven.” Because we still can’t do it, can we? Forgiving somebody once is hard enough. Doing it again and again—that calls for a kind of power I don’t have.
But Jesus has that power. Jesus can manage to love and forgive people that much. We know it from looking at His whole life. I mean, any God who can live among us with all our evils and experience the worst we could do to Him, and still lay down His life for us anyway—now, that’s real love. That’s a love we can never come to the end of. And since Jesus has risen from the dead, His ability to love and forgive and save us goes on forever. We can always come to Him for mercy and healing.
But now He says to us, “Be like Me.” How is that even possible? Only if He is living inside us, doing His work. I cannot forgive—but Jesus in me can do it. And so, when I face the impossible task, I can pray, “Lord, I can’t do it. You must do it through me.” And then I can lean all my weight on Him and allow Him to carry me as I live out forgiveness to that person, minute by minute, day by day.
God does the impossible. And because the Holy Spirit lives in us, God will do the impossible through us as well. Let’s ask Him to.
WE PRAY: Dear Father, please help me to forgive the person I’m having so much trouble with right now. Show me hour by hour what You want me to do, and make it happen in me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. Does forgiveness mean that your relationship is completely unchanged in the future? Why or why not?
2. How do you lean on Jesus when something is too hard for you?
3. Privately, think about this: When has someone forgiven you the unforgivable? Why did they do it?