Don’t Stop With Forgiveness

[Don’t Stop With Forgiveness]( Current Teaching Series [Rethinking Your Life]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Don’t Stop With Forgiveness]( By Rick Warren — 01/18/2024 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44 (GNT) To think like Jesus means to be willing to forgive the people who have hurt you. Even on the cross, Jesus forgave. In Luke 23:34 he says of the people who tortured and hung him there, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (NIV). Who has hurt you the most in life? Who are you holding a grudge against? What pain are you holding on to because you cannot forgive? When you hold on to hurt, you’re really only hurting yourself. You need to forgive the person, not because they deserve it but because God has forgiven you, and he expects you to do the same for others. You forgive because you don’t want your pain to turn into bitterness and resentment. Being unforgiving is like drinking poison and hoping it hurts the other person. Jesus always forgives, but he never stops with just forgiveness. He gives a radical example when he says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 GNT). It is not enough to just forgive. God wants you to learn to respond to evil with good and bless those who have hurt you. He wants you to pray for their good. Why would you do that? Because thinking like Jesus is the healthiest, happiest, and most healing way to live. If you have the mind of the world, you’re only going to live in the pain of past hurt. When you have the mind of Christ, you are free to forgive and bless. You’re free to move forward with your life, secure in your salvation and hope for the future. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What hurt have you been holding on to that has kept you from more fruitful spiritual growth? - Does the other person have to accept your forgiveness or want to reconcile for you to forgive and pray for them? Why or why not? - Is there anything that you’ve done or that anyone else has done that cannot be forgiven? Is there anything you can do to make God love you less? What makes you answer those questions the way you did? The post [Don’t Stop With Forgiveness]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the Rethinking Your Life Bible Study when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Your brain is the most complex organ in your body, and one of God’s greatest gifts to you. 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[LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Why You Need to Think About What You Think About Message 2: Learning to Think Like Jesus Message 3: Choosing to Manage My Mind Message 4: Rethinking the Problem of Sin Message 5: How to Win Over Persistent Temptations Message 6: Defeating Discouragement Message 7: Changing How I Think About Pain Message 8: Recovering from Traumatic Experiences [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.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. 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