February 24, 2022
Thursday
What Does Love Do? Love Forgives!
Colossians 3: 12
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
Sometimes parents face the awkward dilemma of being caught in an act of hypocrisy. The parent corrects a child’s use of language or behavior and the child responds, “Well, you do that!” The parent is then tempted to say, “Do as I say, not as I do!” There may be times when adult and child behavior can diverge, but not often. When it comes to modeling behavior, actions always speak louder than words.
CHARACTER OF THE NEW MAN
When it came to forgiveness, the apostle Paul gave the church at Ephesus both a command and an example to follow: Forgive each other, just as God in Christ forgave you. It is never a case of God saying to us, “Do as I say, not as I do.” What God expects of us is no more than what He Himself has done. We are forgiven completely and unconditionally by God through faith in Jesus Christ. That forgiveness is the model for how our love for others should be expressed by forgiveness.
If you are called to forgive someone today, ask yourself not what Jesus would do, but consider what God has already done and do likewise.
A point to ponder…
Nothing causes us to so nearly resemble God as the forgiveness of injuries.
John Chrysostom
Read the Bible through in a year
I love you!!!
© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich