Open Heavens for Teens Friday 10 July 2020 Daily Devotional written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

Topic: How Forgiving Are You?

Memorise: Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Psalms 103:4

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:31-32

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Bible Reading In One Year: Acts 16:1-40, Psalms 1-3

MESSAGE:

According to Matthew 18:23-24 , an unforgiving believer is branded a wicked fellow. A believer who dumps the works of righteousness for the works of the flesh while still attempting to run the Christian race is also wicked. God forgave us so that we can forgive others. He continues to forgive us whenever we are expecting that we inculcate a lifestyle of forgiveness. If you fail to forgive anyone who offends you, you have automatically negated God’s purpose for forgiving you. God leads only by example and He expects you to follow His steps.

One proof of being a child of God is your ability to forgive others no matter their offence. If you struggle with forgiving your offenders, something is very wrong. It must mean that you haven’t given up your will and self to God. It means you are still being controlled by the flesh and not the Holy Spirit. It means your foundation as a Christian is defective. Your readiness to forgive says much about you. Moreover, the Bible says, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who offend us. This means that a wise man forgives easily knowing that he also will need forgiveness from God.

Key Point:

Don’t wait till you feel like forgiving, or until the person deserves it. We don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, yet He forgives us over and over again.

Hymn: When We Walk With The Lord

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way,
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Chorus:
Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away,
Not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay,
Not a grief nor a loss,
Not a frown nor a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favour He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way,
What He says we will do,
Where He sends, we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.