Forgive Because God Forgave You

[Forgive Because God Forgave You]( Current Teaching Series [The Seven Greatest Words of Love]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Forgive Because God Forgave You]( By Rick Warren — 02/28/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) You will, unfortunately, be hurt in this life. And many of those hurts will be intentional—the direct results of what people say about you or do to you. In fact, any time you read the word “forgiveness,” you likely instantly call to mind certain heartaches, hurts, and problems from your past. The memories still feel fresh because you’ve been hurt very deeply. When you’re hurt deeply, it’s often hard to consider forgiving the perpetrators. But the Bible gives you one very important reason you need to forgive. You forgive others because God forgave you. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (NIV). Thinking about how much God has forgiven you will help you be more forgiving of those who have hurt you. The opposite is also true. If you don’t believe and accept in faith that you’ve been forgiven by God, you’ll likely have a hard time forgiving others. If that’s the case, consider whether you truly believe God has forgiven you. Talk to God about any doubts. Think of it like this: God has completely wiped your slate clean of sin because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. All of the things you deserve to be punished for have been cleared away because God has forgiven you. As you accept this truth, you’ll find it increasingly tough to hold a grudge against someone else. No matter what anyone does to you, you’ll never have to forgive another person more than God has already forgiven you. And he has forgiven you. That’s a promise. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - When you hear the word “forgiveness,” what hurts from your past come to mind? Have you forgiven the people who caused those hurts? - Have you experienced God’s forgiveness? Do you really believe you are forgiven? If you do, then freely forgive others. If you don’t, then ask God to help you truly believe you are forgiven and, in turn, to help you forgive other people. - How can you express your thanks to God today for his forgiveness? The post [Forgive Because God Forgave You]( 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