Colossians 3:13 – Verse of the Day 8/23/14

Forgiving those who wrong us is probably one of the hardest things to do. It can be especially hard to forgive other Christians, because we expect them to treat us with the love the Bible teaches and not to hurt us. So if it is so hard, why should we still forgive?

The answer that Paul points to is related to the fact that we ourselves have been forgiven by God. This verse is from the part of Colossians that talks about how we should live as Christians now that we have passed from spiritual death into life. Jesus calls us to put to death our natural desires, because we are now united to Christ by faith. Just as God has forgiven us, we are called to forgive one another – even when it is hard to do it.

When we actually stop to consider the magnitude of our sin, how often we fail to do what God commands and how often we do what he forbids, it is hard to imagine that God would forgive us. And yet, God not only forgives us, but Jesus himself took the penalty for our sin in order to accomplish that forgiveness. Thank God for what He has done for you, and ask for the ability to forgive others as he has forgiven you.