TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32, ESV
TODAY’S DEVOTION
This week (June 15-21, 2025) is National Forgiveness Week.
Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Unless you’re the one doing the forgiving. Forgiveness is never easy because it means you’re willingly choosing to let go of your right to hold someone accountable for their actions. And some of those actions have left deep scars.
If you believe in Jesus, forgiveness is a mandate. Especially when it comes to forgiving your spouse. You don’t get to opt out.
Those are hard words to hear. Even harder to put into action.
But those are Jesus’ words. Time and again He commanded His followers to forgive – in the Lord’s Prayer (forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors), the “seventy times seven” statement in Matthew 18:21, and in the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Matthew 18:21-35). In fact, the Parable of the Unjust Steward tells us forgiveness has no limit.
If you feel that forgiving your spouse is an impossible task … it’s just too much … remember that the One who spoke these words would soon stretch out his hands and be nailed to a cross to purchase our forgiveness.
The Apostle Paul echoed Christ’s command in Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (ESV).
Because Christ forgave you, you should forgive others. Even your spouse. Even when they leave scars. That doesn’t mean you allow sin to continue or to stay in a harmful situation. It means you willingly choose to let go of the bitterness, anger, and feelings of revenge.
And when you struggle to forgive your spouse – for things big and small – there’s a nail-scarred hand reaching out to help you. Take hold of it and never let go.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for forgiving me. Help me forgive others. Amen.
