Throughout August, we are uniting together as a congregation to focus on four of the many virtues of Jesus. Our hope is that these virtues of Christ will guide us throughout the next few years as the Holy Spirit forms us more and more into the likeness of our Savior as individuals and as a church family. As we continue our journey through the Discipleship: Virtuous Life in Christ all-church sermon and small group series, you are invited to use this daily devotional to help you to focus on the virtue of “forgiveness” this week.

 

You are encouraged to begin your devotional time with Psalm 19 or part of the lyrics of the hymn, “Jesus Paid It All”, by Elvina M. Hall. With your heart and mind focused on Christ, then read the daily Bible verses about forgiveness and conclude your time praying in response to our Savior.

 

 

Monday (8/23)

Read Psalm 19 as a way to center your heart and mind in the Lord as you prepare to receive God’s message to you for today.

 

Read 1 John 1:5-10. What do these verses reveal about God’s forgiveness and the power of Jesus’ blood?

 

Pray in response to our forgiving God. Do you need to confess your sins to God today to receive the forgiveness made possible through Jesus’ death upon the cross?

 

 

Tuesday (8/24)

Read a portion of the lyrics from the hymn, “Jesus Paid it All”, to remind you of what Christ has done for you:

 

I hear the Savior say,

“Thy strength indeed is small;

Child of weakness, watch and pray,

Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

 

Read Ephesians 1:3-10. What do these verses reveal about you, Jesus, and forgiveness?

 

Pray and praise the Lord in response to what the He has done for us through his son, Jesus.

 

 

Wednesday (8/25)

Read Psalm 19 as a way to center your heart and mind in Christ as you prepare to receive God’s message to you for today.

 

Read Colossians 3:13. You will be invited to read more of the verses from this chapter next week. This week, consider memorizing the second portion of this verse, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” How can you apply this verse to your life today? Who do you need to forgive?

 

Pray using the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray as recorded in Luke 11:2-4 (NIV):

 

Father, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone

who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation. Amen.

 

 

Thursday (8/26)

Read a portion of the lyrics from the hymn, “Jesus Paid it All”, to remind you of what Christ has done for you:

 

I hear the Savior say,

“Thy strength indeed is small;

Child of weakness, watch and pray,

Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

 

Read Matthew 6:9-15. What does Jesus’ prayer and message reveal about forgiveness?

 

Pray using Jesus’ prayer from the verses you just read in Matthew 6:9-13. Think about the words you are saying as you pray them. What does this prayer mean?

 

 

Friday (8/27)

Read Psalm 19 as a way to center your heart and mind in the Spirit of God as you prepare to receive the Lord’s message to you for today.

 

Read Jesus’ message about prayer and forgiveness in Mark 11:24-25, then read King David’s prayer of confession from Psalm 51:1-12.

 

Pray by using the psalmists words as a way to help you confess your sins to God. As you pray, if the Holy Spirit brings a person to mind that you need to forgive, ask the Lord to help you to forgive them.

 

 

Saturday (8/28)

Read a portion of the lyrics from the hymn, “Jesus Paid it All”, to remind you of what Christ has done for you:

 

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

 

Read Matthew 18:21-35. What do these verses reveal about forgiveness? Read verse 35 again. Jesus teaches us to forgive others from a specific place within us. What does your heart reveal about you? Jesus said, “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34 NIV). What do your words reveal about what is in your heart? Do you need to receive God’s forgiveness today? Do you need to forgive yourself today? Do you need to forgive another person today?

 

Pray the Lord’s Prayer as you have memorized it. If you have not memorized it, consider using Jesus’ words from Matthew 6:9-13 or Luke 11:2-4 to guide your prayer. You may need to ask the Lord to help you if you are struggling to forgive another person.

 

 

Consider observing the sabbath either today or tomorrow as a time to rest, reflect, and enjoy recreation. The questions below can be used to help with reflecting:

 

How did I see, hear, or encounter God’s forgiveness during this past week?

 

Who needs to hear about my experience sometime in the coming days?

 

 

*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online on a computer.