Daily Devotionals.

A debt you cannot pay has already been cancelled. Paul gives a direct command to the believers in Colossae. He uses two actions: bearing with and forgiving. This isn't just ignoring annoyances. It is an active, patient endurance with the flaws of others. And when a real grievance arises, the call is to forgive. The reason is simple and stunning: because the Lord has already forgiven you. Your ability to forgive others flows directly from the forgiveness you have already received from God. It is the new reality of life in Christ.

Perhaps you are holding onto a hurt today. It feels too big to let go. You feel the other person does not deserve your forgiveness. And you are right, they probably do not. But Paul’s instruction here does not point to their worthiness. It points to Christ's work for you. He forgave you when you were undeserving. John Chrysostom once noted that to withhold forgiveness is to forget the immense pardon we ourselves have received. Your forgiveness of others is the overflow of God's forgiveness of you. It is how you live out the reality of the cross. What grace can you extend today because of the grace you have been given?

Whose small fault can you patiently bear with today as a conscious act of reflecting Christ’s patience with you?

Lord Jesus, thank you for the immeasurable grace of forgiving my sin when I did not deserve it. Help me release the grievances I hold against others, not because they are worthy, but because you are faithful. Make my heart a reflection of your own merciful heart. Amen.

In the Roman world, forgiveness was often seen as a weakness. Paul’s command to forgive as Christ forgave presented a radical, counter-cultural ethic that marked the Christian community as distinct.