Thursday, October 8, 2026

Bible in a Year Reading Plan: Deuteronomy 7-9 | 1 John 1

Colossians 3:13 NIV
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

This is one of the first verses I memorized when I became a Christian. But just like the first servant from Matthew 18:21-35, I often forget how much I’ve been forgiven. 

This spiritual amnesia affects all of us! I have good excuses for my behavior. But you? Come on, now! You should have…. You could have.… Do you know how much that hurt? 

We need to think from our Heavenly Father’s perspective. When we consider how much he has forgiven us through Jesus, we’re forced to step back from our desire to hold offense against others, and instead, move toward forgiveness. 

Drawing on Tim Keller’s teaching on forgiveness, we must:

1. Name the offense, acknowledge the cost, then let it go.
2. Look past the offense and see the person as someone whom Jesus loves - a person with good days and bad days, just like us. 
3. Absorb the debt. 

Forgiveness does not erase accountability or require us to restore trust immediately. It could mean establishing boundaries to prevent future impact. But forgiveness does mean not seeking revenge or retaliating. 

I love what the apostle Paul wrote: 

Romans 12:18
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 

“Do all that you can.” We can only do our part, remembering the enormity of all we have been forgiven.

Paul continues, quoting the Old Testament: “I will take revenge; I will pay them back, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). We can trust that God sees all that happens, and he will resolve it in his time, with his justice. 

When we release someone from a debt, we release ourselves from the burden of carrying a grudge and the weight of bitterness. I’ve heard it said that holding a grudge is like eating poison and expecting the other person to die. 

When we remember how much our Heavenly Father has forgiven us, we are called to extend that same mercy to others. It isn’t easy, and we often need his help. 

The cross is a reminder that forgiveness is costly - and that his love is greater than we can fully understand. Our debts were paid in full on that cross. So were the debts of those we must forgive. 

Questions: 
Who comes to mind when you think of forgiveness? How can you move toward them today?

Next Steps: 
Once you have someone in mind, make a plan to engage with them. Pray, journal, and maybe talk it out with a trusted friend. Examine what is going on in your heart, and then ask God for clarity and grace before making an appointment to talk with them.

Prayer: 
Heavenly Father, I am so grateful for your forgiveness. My debt was one I could have never paid, not in a million years! And yet, you loved me enough to send your Son to rescue me! Help me to remember it wasn’t just me he died for; although, I know he would have. He came for all of us. Everyone I see is a person for whom Christ died, whether they accept his sacrifice or not. When I have been forgiven such a debt, how can I withhold forgiveness from another? But I do. Please forgive me for that, and give me the desire to forgive those who hurt me. Help me to extend the same grace I have been given. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Ephesians 4:15
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 

Written by Lauri White, a regular contributor to the Daily Devotional.