The Gospel Changes How We See Them

Week 2: When It’s Personal Thursday

This Week’s Memory Verse

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 NIV84

Psalm

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Proverbs

Proverbs 15:1 NIV

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Today’s Thought

When someone hurts us, it is easy for the hurt to become the lens through which we see them. They become “the person who did that to me.” Anger, bitterness, and resentment can begin defining the relationship.

But because of the Gospel, believing and receiving it, and the personal relationship we have with Him, it changes how we see the person who hurt us. Ephesians 4:31-32 calls us away from bitterness, rage, anger, and malice and toward kindness, compassion, and forgiveness because God has forgiven us in Christ.

That does not mean the hurt was imaginary, that trust must immediately be restored, or that healthy boundaries do not matter. Forgiveness is not pretending sin did not happen.

It means we refuse to let another person’s sin have the final word over what is happening in our own heart. Invite the Holy Spirit to minister to you, and the hurt that someone else’s sin has caused will lessen; especially as you extend forgiveness and compassion in your response.

Pray

“Jesus, You know the hurt I carry. Keep bitterness from shaping my heart. Help me see the person who hurt me through the mercy and truth of the Gospel. Amen.”

Today’s Mercy Step

Notice the words you use in your mind when you think about the person who hurt you. Pay attention to the consistent attitudes that arise when similar circumstances take place in your life… sometimes repeated by the same person. Ask God to replace bitterness or contempt with a truthful, merciful way of seeing them.