Happy Friday, everyone!

Here’s a question for you as you go into this weekend: How much has God forgiven you?

Now, before you answer “A lot,” I want you to pause for a moment and think about something specific.

Maybe it was the words that you wish that you could take back.
The resentment that you carried.
The person you judged before you knew their story.
The opportunity to help that you just allowed to pass by.

We can be very specific about what others have done wrong to us, while remaining pretty general about our own sins. Yet God knows every one of them. Jesus carried them to the cross, and in Christ you are forgiven even for the sins you have forgotten.

Let that mercy sink in right now.

Distrust can quietly harden hearts. We begin questioning motives, expecting disappointment, and interpreting someone’s words or actions in the worst possible way. And before long, kindness becomes harder to extend.

But Paul brings us back to what we have received in Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.”

God’s forgiveness gives us a place to begin again with one another. His mercy humbles us, softens our hearts, and moves us to extend the kindness we ourselves need every day.

That doesn’t mean ignoring harm or pretending broken trust is instantly repaired. Forgiveness can be difficult. Rebuilding trust takes time. We bring that struggle to Jesus too.

Today, think of that specific sin that God has forgiven you.
Thank Him for His mercy.

And then would you consider this weekend someone toward whom your heart has grown hard? What might His kindness lead you to say or do? What might His kindness and mercy and forgiveness given to you be extended to that individual?

Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for knowing us so well. Thank You for the forgiveness that You’ve given to us, Lord. Oh, it’s just amazing to think of how many times we have asked for forgiveness for the wrongs that we have done against You, for those wrongs that have hurt others. And we are very mindful of Your kindness, Your mercy, Your patience towards us. Allow that kindness and mercy and forgiveness not only to sit within our hearts, but also to flow out of our hearts. This weekend, especially in those places where our heart is becoming hardened by distrust or anger or resentment. Move within our hearts and soften them. Keep them soft and keep them flowing with Your forgiveness, not only to us, but through us. And we pray this in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Final Thought
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