Daily Devotional
Forgiveness is Not Politeness
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew 6:14-15
August 30, 2025
Ponder This
Pride often gets in the way of forgiveness. You say, “Don’t worry about it. It’s alright. It doesn’t matter.” That is not forgiveness. You know what causes you to say that? Your pride. It did matter. You were hurt. But you don’t want the other person to know you’ve been hurt.
Forgiveness is not politeness. It is not saying it really didn’t matter. When you come to God for forgiveness, do you think God says, “Oh, don’t worry about it”? No. Forgiveness is not politeness. Forgiveness is not merely accepting an apology, and forgiveness is not forgetting.
Forgetting is never the means of forgiveness. It is the result of forgiveness. God forgets our sins only because they have been forgiven. When you forgive, forgive freely, not after others paid the price. Seek them out to forgive them. Forgive fully as you have been forgiven.
- When have you tried to ignore or avoid an issue rather than work through forgiveness?
- Why is complete forgiveness so challenging? How do you typically respond outside of forgiveness?
Practice This
Consider a conflict you have not dealt with or tried to forget about and move toward the person with forgiveness.
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Calling God's Name Book
A 30-day devotional study of the names of God in Scripture. Each day uncovers another facet of who God is, with Scripture, reflection, and practical application to help you know Him and respond to Him in faith.
