Bible Verse
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There's probably someone you've decided doesn't deserve another chance. Maybe they hurt you too many times, crossed a line you told yourself you'd never forgive, or broke something in you that still hasn't healed. Today we're going to explore something uncomfortable but necessary: what if that person you're refusing to forgive is actually revealing whether your faith is real or just something you perform on Sundays? This prayer matters because the gap between what we say we believe about God's grace and how we actually extend grace to others might be the most honest measurement of our spiritual lives.
Short Devotional
Jesus told a story about a servant who owed his master millions of dollars and begged for mercy. The master forgave the entire debt, wiping it clean. But that same servant found someone who owed him a few dollars and had him thrown in prison. When the master heard about it, he was furious because the servant had received unlimited grace but refused to give even a little. We can recite verses about God's forgiveness and sing songs about amazing grace, but when someone keeps hurting us, we suddenly develop a calculator and start keeping score.
Here's the question that should shake us: If love is the greatest virtue that outlasts even faith and hope, what does it say about our faith when we've placed boundaries on our love? We claim God's patience is endless toward our repeated failures, but we've decided certain people have used up their chances with us. The person you're refusing to forgive isn't just someone who wronged you—they're the mirror showing you whether your Christianity has actually transformed your heart or just given you better religious vocabulary. Let's bring this honestly before God.
Let's Pray
Heavenly Father,
I come to You knowing You see everything—including the person I've decided doesn't deserve my forgiveness anymore. You know how deeply they hurt me, how many times I've tried, and how exhausted I am from this relationship.
But I also know You see my heart, and right now it's hard and closed toward them. I've drawn a line and said "no more," and part of me feels justified in doing it.
Your Word says faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest is love. I have faith that You forgive me endlessly. I have hope that You'll redeem my story.
But Lord, I'm failing the love test with this person. I've received Your unlimited grace for my repeated failures, yet I'm holding a detailed record of their wrongs against them.
Forgive me for having a short memory about my own sin and a long memory about theirs.
I don't know how to love them again. The hurt is real, and the patterns feel unchangeable. But I'm asking You to do in me what I can't do myself—soften this hard place in my heart.
Help me see them the way You see me when I fail You repeatedly. Give me the courage to forgive not because they deserve it, but because love is greater than my justified anger.
Thank You that Your love never fails, even when mine does.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Journaling Prompts
Imagine standing before God and Him asking, "I forgave you for everything—why couldn't you forgive them for this?" What would your honest answer be?
Who is the person you've mentally or emotionally "written off," and what specific moment made you decide they didn't deserve any more chances from you?
How does the way you're treating this unforgiving relationship contradict what you say you believe about God's grace toward you?
Forgiveness doesn't mean pretending the hurt never happened or allowing yourself to be harmed repeatedly. But it does mean releasing the death grip we have on someone's record of wrongs and trusting God to handle what we can't control. The person you're struggling to forgive might be the very tool God is using to reveal whether your faith is genuine, and that's an uncomfortable but necessary revelation.
Until next time,
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May He make His face shine upon you;
And be gracious to you and give you peace.
God Bless!
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