Three Reasons to Forgive

[Three Reasons to Forgive]( Current Teaching Series [The Seven Greatest Words of Love]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Three Reasons to Forgive]( By Rick Warren — 02/26/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13 (NLT) The Bible says there are three reasons you have to let go of your past and forgive the people who’ve hurt you. And those reasons have nothing to do with whether those people deserve it or not. 1. You have to forgive those who’ve hurt you because God has forgiven you. Colossians 3:13 says, “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (NLT). If you want to be a forgiving person, you first need to accept the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ. The Bible says God came to Earth in human form in Jesus in order to forgive everything that’s ever been done wrong. He paid for those wrongs so we don’t have to. That’s Good News. 2. You have to forgive those who’ve hurt you because, otherwise, resentment will control you. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Only fools get angry quickly and hold a grudge” (CEV). Resentment makes you miserable. It keeps you stuck in the past. And when you’re stuck in the past, you are controlled by the past. Every time you resent something, you let that thing control you. Some of you are allowing people who hurt you five, 10, or even 20 years ago to still hurt you today because of resentment. Don’t let that continue to happen. Your past is past. You’ve got to let it go. 3. You have to forgive those who’ve hurt you because you’re going to need more forgiveness in the future. Jesus said, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV). Forgiveness is a two-way street. You can’t receive what you are unwilling to give. Someone once told John Wesley, the 18th-century British theologian, “I could never forgive that person.” Wesley replied, “Then I hope you never sin.” You don’t want to burn the bridge you need to walk across to get into heaven. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Jesus has already paid for every wrong ever committed. How does that make it easier for you to forgive? - What’s a sin you believe you could never forgive? How do you think God feels about that sin? - In what situation do you need to offer forgiveness so that you can move on from your past? The post [Three Reasons to Forgive]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get the Journey with Jesus Deluxe Book when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( Imagine tracing the very footsteps of Jesus as he made his way through Jerusalem on his sacrificial journey to Calvary. With Pastor Rick’s book, Journey with Jesus, you don’t have to imagine. Through gorgeous custom mosaic artwork and beautiful photos, you’ll see the story of Jesus come to life like never before. Get deep biblical insight into the most important event in human history as the narrative takes you to each stop on the path Jesus took to save us. This stunning deluxe edition, available only through Daily Hope, features a soft, vegan leather cover, 148 high gloss pages, and makes a perfect gift to help both Christians and seekers step into the greatest love story ever told. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 7 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series The Seven Greatest Words of Love. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: The Word of Forgiveness Message 2: The Word of Assurance Message 3: The Word of Love Message 4: The Word of Substitution Message 5: The Word of Humanity Message 6: The Word of Victory Message 7: The Word of Trust [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2021 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States