Magnify the Lord

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Building My Life on Values That Last

Forgive Because God Forgave You By Rick Warren — Dec 8, 2015 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV) We will all be hurt in this life. Many times we’ll be hurt intentionally by what people say about us or what people do to us. In fact, any time we read the word “forgiveness” we instantly call to mind certain heartaches, hurts, and problems from our past. The memories are still fresh because we’ve been hurt very deeply. Because of how deeply we’ve been hurt, it’s hard to consider forgiving the perpetrators. But the Bible gives us one very important reason we need to forgive. We forgive others because God forgave us. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (NIV). Ponder how much God has forgiven you, and it’ll cause you to be more forgiving of those who have hurt you. The converse is also true. If you don’t feel forgiven, you’ll have a hard time forgiving others. If you typically have a tough time forgiving others, you may not truly feel forgiven yourself. Think of it like this: God has completely wiped your sin slate clean because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. All of the things you deserve to be paid back for have been cleared away because God has forgiven you. Own that statement for yourself, and you’ll find it increasingly tough to hold a grudge against someone else. Remember this: No matter what anyone does to you, you’ll never have to forgive any other person more than God has already forgiven you. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over When you think about forgiveness, who comes to mind? If it’s someone you need to forgive, what will you do now? What tangible action can you take to demonstrate forgiveness to someone who has hurt you in the past? How can you express your thanks to God today for his forgiveness? Today’s Scripture “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.” (Psalm 34:3, KJV) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Magnify the Lord There is power when you magnify the Lord and exalt His name! When you magnify the Lord, you aren’t changing Him; you are changing the way you see Him. You are making Him bigger in your life than your problems and circumstances. So many people today waste time and energy talking about their problems and feeling sorry for themselves. In other words, they are magnifying their circumstances in their mind and heart. But when you magnify the Lord by talking about Him and worshiping Him, you are making Him big in your mind and heart. You are opening the door for Him to move on your behalf. Decide today that no matter what’s going on in life around you, you are going to magnify your God. Talk about His goodness. Talk about His faithfulness. Declare that He is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Exalt His name today and lift Him up! A Prayer for Today “Father, today I choose to magnify You. You are faithful and worthy of praise. I declare today that You are for me, so who can be against me! I trust Your work in my life today in Jesus’ name. Amen.”