#ForgivenToForgive

Introduction Post: The next few weeks we’ll explore what it means to be forgiven. Once we experience God’s unconditional forgiveness of us, we can unconditionally forgive others.

Part 1: We are Forgiven

Day 1

• Graphic: If we confess our sins, he is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 Jn 1:9 #ForgivenToForgive
• Verse: But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5
• Article: Who in your life needs to hear about the forgiveness Christ offers?
• Tweet: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1 #ForgivenToForgive
• Challenge: Ask God to reveal sin in your life. Talk with him about it, and claim his forgiveness. 1 Jn 1:9 #ForgivenToForgive

Day 2

• Graphic: “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. #ForgivenToForgive

• Article: Do you ever struggle with guilt over your failures?

• Quote: If God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him. – C.S. Lewis #ForgivenToForgive“God's ability to clean things up is infinitely greater than our ability to mess things up.” – Tullian Tchividjian

• Tweet: “My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.” – Brennan Manning

• Video: A criminal forgiven.

  • “My Last Day”
  • Download other languages here

Day 3

• Article: How God healed a very broken family.
• Verse: ...though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...– Isaiah 1:18 #ForgivenToForgive
• Quote: “You took something very precious from me...But I forgive you.” – Nadine Collier #ForgivenToForgive
• Tweet: “If Christianity is really true, why hasn’t my life changed more?”
  https://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/the-spirit-filled-life/holy-spirit-work-life.html
• Graphic: As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:12 #ForgivenToForgive

Day 4

• Graphic: "Believe that God is strong enough to save your children, no matter how you fail." – Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
• Article: A porn star experiences Christ’s forgiveness and love.
• A partner of Cru in Europe has developed a short e-course on Forgiveness: “Forgiveness. A beautiful word. Or a complicated word. This course helps you to understand forgiveness.”
  https://codex.training/forgiveness
• Quote: “The good news that Christ forgives sinners is our good news.” – Barbara Bancroft #ForgivenToForgive
• Challenge: Resist thoughts of revenge. "See that no one repays another with evil for evil." – 1 Thessalonians 5:25 #ForgivenToForgive

Day 5

• Graphic: “...I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” – Jeremiah 31:3 #ForgivenToForgive
• Verse: Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32 #ForgivenToForgive
• Video: See Jesus’ reaction to “sinners.”
• Tweet: Is there someone in your life you tend to avoid? Your issue may stem from a lack of forgiveness. #ForgivenToForgive
• Article: “Tariku, I give you a choice between Jesus and family. Choose.”

Day 6

• Graphic: Practice spiritual breathing.
  "Exhale" by confessing your sins, and then "Inhale" by claiming his promise to forgive you. #ForgivenToForgive
• Verse: But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. – Matt 6:15 #ForgivenToForgive
• Challenge: Ask God if there is anyone in your life whom you have not yet forgiven. #ForgivenToForgive
• Quote: “Many of us struggle to forgive those who have wronged us, especially since forgiveness is often so difficult to find. What makes it hard to let resentment go?” – Laura Hillenbrand
• Article: “What if you worked on building a relationship with your father?” my mentor prompted.

Day 7

• Graphic: “When God removes the weight of our sin, we are more than relieved; we are transformed.” – Barbara Bancroft #ForgivenToForgive
• Tweet: Restoration takes time, but forgiveness is the first step, opening up a dialogue. #ForgivenToForgive
• Verse: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” – Matthew 18:15 #ForgivenToForgive
• Quote: “The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when they make their tormentors suffer.” – Laura Hillenbrand
• Article: Are some sins unforgivable? #ForgivenToForgive

Day 8

• Article: “Have you ever been ticketed by God? Maybe you haven't been put behind bars by a policeman, but has the Holy Spirit ever arrested you, grabbing your attention concerning an area of your life that was violating God's laws? He did it because He loves you.”
• Graphic: Ask God to show you sins you have been managing instead of taking to Christ for forgiveness. #ForgivenToForgive
• Quote: “Only one party is needed for forgiveness: me. The person who owes me a debt does not have to ask for my forgiveness. It is a work of grace in my heart.” – Henry Cloud #ForgivenToForgive
• Verse: ...forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you ... – Mk 11:25 #ForgivenToForgive
• Video:
  • A son forgives a father.

Day 9

• Article: Do you struggle with forgiving yourself?
• Verse: But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you... – Luke 6:27 #ForgivenToForgive
• Quote: “The thankfulness that flows from a forgiven heart produces a sturdy faith.” - Barbara Bancroft #ForgivenToForgive
• Tweet: Are you fighting with a friend?
  https://thelife.com/challenges/8-tips-for-fights-between-friends
• Graphic: "[Forgiveness] is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family." – Henri Nouwen

Day 10

• Article: He killed her family, and she forgave him. #ForgivenToForgive
• Graphic: "Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing you were the prisoner!" – Max Lucado #ForgivenToForgive
• Verse: “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” – Proverbs 12:18 #ForgivenToForgive
• Tweet: Forgiveness brings peace, and when are at peace, we are able to truly love others. #ForgivenToForgive

Day 11

• Article: Do you need restoration with a family member?
• Graphic: “To forgive is to die. It is to give up one’s right to self, which is precisely what Jesus requires of anyone who wants to be his disciple.” -- Elisabeth Elliot #ForgivenToForgive

Day 13

• Graphic: "To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you." – C.S. Lewis #ForgivenToForgive
• Verse: "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." – Romans 12:18 #ForgivenToForgive
• Tweet: Do your words of truth help others or hurt others?
• Challenge: Consider whether there is someone in your life who needs grace from you.
• Article: How to heal from your hurt.

Day 14

• Graphic: What would the world look like if we committed to living this out?
  "Bless those who curse you." – Luke 6:28 #ForgivenToForgive
• Tweet: Have you had the painful experience of losing a friend?
  https://thelife.com/challenges/when-friends-fail-you
• Verse: "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind." – 1 Corinthians 10:13 #ForgivenToForgive
• Quote: ”forgiveness always comes at a cost to the one granting the forgiveness.” – Timothy Keller
• Challenge: Does someone you’ve forgiven continue to cause hurt? Consider your boundaries.
  https://thelife.com/challenges/boundaries
• Article: Lessons learned after surviving a mass shooting.