“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
Colossians 3:13
The unique thing about forgiveness is that you might have to do it over and over again, without letting your heart become hardened in the process. While this isn’t always easy, it’s certainly possible as long as you choose to rely on the grace of God. When Jesus told Peter that he would have to forgive his brother seventy times seven, Peter must have been shocked. He likely realized it would be impossible for one person to offend him 490 times in one day!
In fact, to reach this threshold, someone would have to offend and be forgiven every three minutes throughout the day. Jesus wasn’t setting a literal number—He was emphasizing that forgiveness should be continuous. It’s not a one-time thing. It’s not, “Okay, I’ll forgive you now, but you have two more chances.” We are called to forgive repeatedly.
However, to live this way, we must have a heart that obeys God, even when it means swallowing our pride and appearing like the “foolish one.”
Charge: Do not harden your heart against anyone, no matter what.
Further Study: Mark 11:25-26, Ephesians 4:2, Romans 15:1-2.
One Comment
Forgiveness should be the habit of every believer. That’s what God expects of us.
Thank you.