Golden Nugget: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Daily Verse: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” —Ephesians 4:32

Daily Message:
Making bad choices can really hurt. We learned this early on as children. Touching the hot burner of a stove or sticking a paperclip into an electrical outlet hurts. It doesn’t take long for us to learn to avoid things that injure or harm. The life lesson seems simple enough: stay away from things that cause pain.

But life is not so simple when it comes to relationships. Today’s Bible verse addresses a choice we all face, no matter how difficult our relationships become: forgiveness.

Forgiveness is one of the hardest choices we will ever make. And it can only be made with God’s help. People hurt each other—often in brutal and unconscionable ways. While we don’t choose to be hurt, we do choose our response. We can increase the pain through bitterness, rage, and resentment, or we can embrace one of God’s greatest gifts and forgive those who have hurt us.
Having experienced God’s grace and forgiveness ourselves is the only way we can extend the same effectively. Any other option will only hurt those around us and ourselves. The choice is ours.

Consider This: 

• Who are you struggling to forgive?
• What part of this verse can help you?

Take Action:
Forgiveness is a process. Begin the journey today. Identify who you need to forgive and pray for God’s help in doing so. Note that you are not automatically re-embracing a relationship when you forgive, nor are you pretending the hurt never happened; you are releasing that person from your judgment and anger.