Scripture:
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" -Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)
"And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." -Mark 11:25 (ESV)
"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." -Acts 3:19 (NASB)
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." -James 5:16 (ESV)
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." -I John 1:9 (NIV)
Introduction:
We all sin. And while we know that God offers forgiveness, do we take time to reflect on this gift that He has given us and how this applies to our lives? God has a plan to forgive and redeem us, but this plan doesn't stop with just our personal redemption. We also need to practice forgiveness in our lives.
You can find advice about forgiveness from many different sources. There are books, blogs, and websites that offer advice on forgiveness in our lives. To really understand forgiveness, we need to start with the source. We can learn from God and reflect on His forgiveness in our lives. As we live in God's forgiveness, we can show forgiveness to ourselves and others. Choosing to live in forgiveness can help us to draw nearer to God and live a more complete, fulfilled life!
Sunday:
God forgives each of us. No matter how bad we think we are or how much hurt our actions have caused, God can restore us. We need to be ready to accept the forgiveness that God is offering to us. Even if we do not think we can forgive ourselves, we can reach out to God and ask Him to redeem us!
*Do you feel that you deserve forgiveness? Whether you do or not, do you believe that God can forgive and redeem you?
*How does knowing that God forgives you affect your life? What can you do differently in your life because you are forgiven?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Monday:
One of the commonly identified steps in forgiveness is recognizing or naming the offense. To be forgiven, we must admit our need for forgiveness. We should go to God and repent. We need to be honest with ourselves, because God already knows our actions and the necessity of forgiveness and redemption in our lives. As we reflect and repent, we can be reassured God will forgive us!
*Take time to reflect on your life and the areas in which you need to repent. Go to God in prayer and repent, then prepare to accept His forgiveness.
*What does God's forgiveness mean to you?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Tuesday:
God forgives us, but sometimes we don't forgive ourselves. We may allow doubt to creep in. We may begin to think that certain actions are "unforgivable." If we trust in God, we need to trust His Word and His promise to forgive us. We need to embrace God and His role in our lives, building on His presence and changing the way we live to reflect His forgiveness. We may not immediately reconcile with those that we have harmed or who have harmed us, but we can begin anew in God!
*Have you ever thought that your actions were unforgivable? How has God helped you start fresh?
*How can you forgive yourself and live in a way that shows God's forgiveness?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Wednesday:
We are forgiven by God. We can forgive ourselves. We can rely on God to help us live redeemed lives. In doing each of these things, we need to forgive others. We may not feel that others deserve our forgiveness. There are often times when those that hurt us do not even ask for our forgiveness. Regardless of whether we feel others "deserve" forgiveness or have asked us for forgiveness, we need to forgive others.
*As you reflect on your life, are there certain people that you have had difficulty forgiving? Have you asked God to help you forgive others?
*How can forgiving others, even if they do not ask for forgiveness, help you become closer in your relationship with God?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Thursday:
When we live an unforgiven, sinful life, we do not experience our fullest potential. We do not encounter the fullest joy and peace possible. However, God is freely offering forgiveness to us. He is also there to support us and guide us. We need to choose to live in God's forgiveness and to leave the burden of sin and unforgiving attitudes behind us!
*What do you need from God to help you live a forgiven life? Have you taken your concerns to God through prayer?
*What could be stopping you from accepting God's forgiveness? How can you overcome these barriers?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Friday:
To be our "best selves," we need to draw nearer to God. God forgives each of us, so we need to let go and let God shape our lives. When we trust in God's forgiveness, we can know Him better and feel His presence in our lives!
*What do you need to let go of in your life?
*How can trusting God's forgiveness change your life for the better?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Saturday:
Once we have accepted God's forgiveness and His help in forgiving others, we can begin to live differently than we had before offering forgiveness. Forgiving others can lift a burden from our lives. It may not be easy to reach a point of forgiving people we may think are difficult or undeserving, but, once we do, we can experience freedom and peace that God provides. We can live a fuller life when we are not preoccupied with holding on to past wrongs!
*Who are the people in your life that you need to forgive?
*How can forgiveness free you to live a fuller, more peaceful life?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" -Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)
"And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." -Mark 11:25 (ESV)
"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." -Acts 3:19 (NASB)
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." -James 5:16 (ESV)
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." -I John 1:9 (NIV)
Introduction:
We all sin. And while we know that God offers forgiveness, do we take time to reflect on this gift that He has given us and how this applies to our lives? God has a plan to forgive and redeem us, but this plan doesn't stop with just our personal redemption. We also need to practice forgiveness in our lives.
You can find advice about forgiveness from many different sources. There are books, blogs, and websites that offer advice on forgiveness in our lives. To really understand forgiveness, we need to start with the source. We can learn from God and reflect on His forgiveness in our lives. As we live in God's forgiveness, we can show forgiveness to ourselves and others. Choosing to live in forgiveness can help us to draw nearer to God and live a more complete, fulfilled life!
Sunday:
God forgives each of us. No matter how bad we think we are or how much hurt our actions have caused, God can restore us. We need to be ready to accept the forgiveness that God is offering to us. Even if we do not think we can forgive ourselves, we can reach out to God and ask Him to redeem us!
*Do you feel that you deserve forgiveness? Whether you do or not, do you believe that God can forgive and redeem you?
*How does knowing that God forgives you affect your life? What can you do differently in your life because you are forgiven?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Monday:
One of the commonly identified steps in forgiveness is recognizing or naming the offense. To be forgiven, we must admit our need for forgiveness. We should go to God and repent. We need to be honest with ourselves, because God already knows our actions and the necessity of forgiveness and redemption in our lives. As we reflect and repent, we can be reassured God will forgive us!
*Take time to reflect on your life and the areas in which you need to repent. Go to God in prayer and repent, then prepare to accept His forgiveness.
*What does God's forgiveness mean to you?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Tuesday:
God forgives us, but sometimes we don't forgive ourselves. We may allow doubt to creep in. We may begin to think that certain actions are "unforgivable." If we trust in God, we need to trust His Word and His promise to forgive us. We need to embrace God and His role in our lives, building on His presence and changing the way we live to reflect His forgiveness. We may not immediately reconcile with those that we have harmed or who have harmed us, but we can begin anew in God!
*Have you ever thought that your actions were unforgivable? How has God helped you start fresh?
*How can you forgive yourself and live in a way that shows God's forgiveness?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Wednesday:
We are forgiven by God. We can forgive ourselves. We can rely on God to help us live redeemed lives. In doing each of these things, we need to forgive others. We may not feel that others deserve our forgiveness. There are often times when those that hurt us do not even ask for our forgiveness. Regardless of whether we feel others "deserve" forgiveness or have asked us for forgiveness, we need to forgive others.
*As you reflect on your life, are there certain people that you have had difficulty forgiving? Have you asked God to help you forgive others?
*How can forgiving others, even if they do not ask for forgiveness, help you become closer in your relationship with God?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Thursday:
When we live an unforgiven, sinful life, we do not experience our fullest potential. We do not encounter the fullest joy and peace possible. However, God is freely offering forgiveness to us. He is also there to support us and guide us. We need to choose to live in God's forgiveness and to leave the burden of sin and unforgiving attitudes behind us!
*What do you need from God to help you live a forgiven life? Have you taken your concerns to God through prayer?
*What could be stopping you from accepting God's forgiveness? How can you overcome these barriers?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Friday:
To be our "best selves," we need to draw nearer to God. God forgives each of us, so we need to let go and let God shape our lives. When we trust in God's forgiveness, we can know Him better and feel His presence in our lives!
*What do you need to let go of in your life?
*How can trusting God's forgiveness change your life for the better?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
Saturday:
Once we have accepted God's forgiveness and His help in forgiving others, we can begin to live differently than we had before offering forgiveness. Forgiving others can lift a burden from our lives. It may not be easy to reach a point of forgiving people we may think are difficult or undeserving, but, once we do, we can experience freedom and peace that God provides. We can live a fuller life when we are not preoccupied with holding on to past wrongs!
*Who are the people in your life that you need to forgive?
*How can forgiveness free you to live a fuller, more peaceful life?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your plan of forgiveness and redemption in my life. Help me to accept Your forgiveness and to forgive others in my life. Allow me to live a redeemed life that shows Your glory to those around me. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, I pray, amen.
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