rick warrens daily hope new banner may 2022

Forgive Because God Forgave You
By Rick Warren

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

You will, unfortunately, be hurt in this life. And many of those hurts will be intentional—the direct results of what people say about you or do to you. In fact, any time you read the word “forgiveness,” you likely instantly call to mind certain heartaches, hurts, and problems from your past. The memories still feel fresh because you’ve been hurt very deeply. 

When you’re hurt deeply, it’s often hard to consider forgiving the perpetrators. But the Bible gives you one very important reason you need to forgive.

You forgive others because God forgave you. 

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). 

Thinking about how much God has forgiven you will help you be more forgiving of those who have hurt you.

The opposite is also true. If you don’t believe and accept in faith that you’ve been forgiven by God, you’ll likely have a hard time forgiving others. If that’s the case, consider whether you truly believe God has forgiven you. Talk to God about any doubts.

Think of it like this: God has completely wiped your slate clean of sin because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. All of the things you deserve to be punished for have been cleared away because God has forgiven you. As you accept this truth, you’ll find it increasingly tough to hold a grudge against someone else.

No matter what anyone does to you, you’ll never have to forgive another person more than God has already forgiven you. And he has forgiven you. That’s a promise.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!


journey with jesus daily hope rick warren offerJoin Pastor Rick on a Journey with Jesus!

Imagine tracing the very footsteps of Jesus as you’re caught up in the wonder and power of his great love for you.

This stunning book from Pastor Rick allows you to see the story of Jesus come to life like never before as together you dive into the fascinating biblical and historical facts related to each stop Jesus made along the way to the cross.

Featuring a soft-leather cover and high-gloss pages, this Daily Hope exclusive is great to keep for yourself or makes a perfect gift to help both Christians and seekers step into the greatest love story ever told.

So request your copy below when you give to help reach more people with the hope of Jesus Christ through Daily Hope. And thank you for your partnership!

*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.

This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.