Practical Forgiveness – Practice 10

Depend on God.

Forgiveness has been called an unnatural act. We humans instinctively hunger for justice that balances a wrongful deed with punishment that fits the crime. To forgo our right to vengeance seems to work against our very nature, yet it fits God’s nature perfectly. When we seek to be like Jesus, the Spirit reshapes our desires with a new, divine nature that makes forgiveness and loving our enemies possible. God never calls us to an unnatural task like forgiving without giving us the grace and means to obey him.

Ponder

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Pledge

With God’s help I will yield my heart to the Spirit’s reshaping and depend on God for the resources I need to forgive.

Adapted from A Devotional Walk with Forgiveness by Judith Ingram. Copyright © 2011 by Judith Ingram.

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