Living Out Your Forgiveness

Devotional Reading: Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: Acts 9:13 KJV

In Acts 9, scripture tells us how Saul of Tarshish encounters God’s radical forgiveness while he’s on his way to imprison, persecute, and perhaps even kill Christ followers in Damascus.

While you may know this story, have you ever just stopped and thought about how crazy it seems?

This man made a career out of persecuting Christians, approving of executions and “ravaging the church”(Acts 8:1-3). This man, the “foremost” of sinners as he later calls himself, was forgiven by God.

People often talk about how God forgave Paul, but think about the Christians of that time, too. This man attacked people like them and now they were just supposed forgive him and let him in? Wouldn’t that be dangerous and risky?

What about Paul forgiving himself? He knew better than anyone all that he had done, all the pain he caused people. To move past it, he would have had to lean heavily on the grace of God, living in the new reality of his forgiveness.

God calls us to live out our forgiveness. While there is wisdom in being cautious and guarding our hearts, we cannot allow those things to become excuses for neglecting our call to forgive.

As you go today, look at the different forgiveness narratives: God, Ananias, the people at the synagogue, and the disciples all had to forgive Saul. Think about how Saul would be feeling, and then, think about your own stories of forgiveness. Where has God shown you grace and forgiven you? What about other people? How can you go and model this grace to others?

Prayer and Confession
As I live my life, I am given to forgiven others, even if it is difficult, I depend on God’s unfailing grace to help me through. Amen!

Further Reading: Acts 9:1-31, Colossians 3:13.
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