This week in OFF ROAD I spoke on forgiveness, and one of our 8th graders, Laurel, shared her story, of how forgiveness has allowed her to become a new person!!!
The main verse we read was Matthew 18:21-35
-Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone. After Jesus responds to Peter with a number much larger than Peter expected, Jesus tell a parable. What Jesus does in the parable is he changes Peter’s perspective. To just give him a number would not change Peters heart, but with the new perspective he can realize the forgiveness he has received and forgive others.
-In the same way our perspective should change. If we believe in Christ we are a new creation, and a new creation equals a new perspective.
- The new perspective is 2 fold, summed up in Colossians 3:31- “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must for give others.”
First, forgiveness is you’re responsibility. We must choose to forgive others because Christ forgave us. Even when people don’t want forgiveness we must offer it to them as Christ did the same for us.
Second, when we are in conflict with others we must keep in mind the forgiveness that God has granted us, and with that knowledge, realize that any forgiveness we give anyone else is nothing compared to the forgiveness givens us. When we realize that, it changes our perspective and allows us to more quickly and fully forgive others.
QUESTIONS:
What can you do, when you don’t want to forgive others, to remind yourself how God has forgiven you?
Who in your life do you find hard to forgive?
Do you think it is easy for you to forgive others or hard?
What has God done in your life to allow you to forgive?
What does it mean to you that God has forgiven you?
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