Jun 03 2025

Today's Bible Verse

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Today's Bible study

In this verse from Colossians, Paul speaks about the importance of forgiving each other. Regardless of the offense against us, we are expected to forgive those who hurt us… just as Christ forgave us. Today, we'll think about why forgiveness is so important and how we can use it as an opportunity to reflect on the kindness that the Lord has shown us.

I'll be honest—I struggle with forgiveness. Sometimes a memory of how someone hurt me five years ago jumps into my mind out of nowhere, and it's like someone spilled hot grease all over me. It takes me a minute, and then I try to give it to the Lord, again and again. He meets me where I am, reminding me that I do not have to understand why someone hurt me, but instead, to forgive them and rest in His love for me.

While forgiveness involves our relationships with other people, it is ultimately between us and the Lord. Paul reminds us in this Colossians verse that Christ has forgiven us, so we should forgive others. We do not forgive others because they deserve it, but because we have also been forgiven. This is why withholding forgiveness is a sin against the Lord. It's ignoring the unfathomable kindness that He has already shown us through Jesus.

When forgiving is difficult, remember that the Lord doesn't expect you to be able to do it relying on your own strength. He invites us to involve Him in every aspect of our lives, especially when we're struggling with forgiveness. We can ask the Lord to help us. We can tell Him all the reasons why we're finding forgiveness to be so hard, and ask Him to heal us of the wounds we've endured. He cares about our pain, and He loves justice. He will tend to our hearts so that we can forgive, reminding us of the great forgiveness that He has already shown us.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you so much for forgiveness. You are so good, and there is no way that I can ever repay you for your grace. Help me to forgive those who have hurt me. I may not understand why they did what they did, but I don't have to. I rest instead in the reality that you love me and care about me. Thank you for your faithfulness. In Jesus' name, amen.

Jun 02 2025

Yesterday's Bible Verse

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. :

Yesterday's Bible study

In today's verse, Jesus tells a woman that she is healed of an illness that has plagued her for many years. She had come up to Him in a crowd and touched his garment. Jesus asks to see who touched Him, and when she reveals herself to Him, He says the words in Mark 5:34. Today, we'll look at what we can learn about healing and the Lord through this account.

Jesus tells the woman that she was healed because of her faith. It was a very bold move for her to make her way through the crowd so that she could touch His robe… but she had enough faith to know that a mere touch from Him would heal her. Jesus commends her for this, saying it is her faith that made her well. For us, this means we should be willing to totally trust God for healing.

Yet we have to be careful not to assume what the Lord will do. While He desires healing, it doesn't always come. There are people with chronic illnesses who have a vibrant relationship with the Lord. Their struggle with illness does not mean the Lord doesn't love them or care about their pain—quite the contrary!

There are just things that we simply cannot understand about the Lord… but we know enough to trust that He is good, loving, and has planned ultimate healing for all of us through Jesus. We know He has given us eternal life in Heaven with Himself.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for being a God of healing. You love all your people more than I will ever understand. You know the needs that I bring before you—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—and you know exactly where I need healing. Thank you for your great love for me, Lord. Please help me to have faith like the woman you healed in Mark 5. In Jesus' name, amen.

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