This passage explains Christ’s law of forgiveness as taught many times by Jesus in the Gospels. We also see it in the Lord’s Prayer – “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those that sin against us” (Luke 11:4) God does not forgive us because we forgive others, but solely by His great mercy and grace. However, as we come to a greater understanding of His mercy, we will long to become more like Him. Having received such a great forgiveness, we will desire to pass it on to others. 


Questions for further thought:
1. Would you consider your attitudes and actions this week to be more grieving or pleasing to God?

2. Give specific examples for your answer to #1.


​Challenge: Consider the patterns of forgiveness (or lack thereof) in your life. Ask the Lord for help in changing patterns of unforgiveness and bitterness that may be lurking under the surface.

The key to forgiving others is remembering the great lengths God traveled to forgive you. I agree it is hard to forgive others and I would suggest it is downright impossible without the power of God residing within our hearts. Realizing God’s infinite love and forgiveness for us can help us love and forgive others. Let God worry about the offenses you have suffered. Don’t quench your life in bitter feuding; instead live in renewed love and joy.


Questions for further thought:
1. Do you find it difficult to forgive someone who has wronged you a little when God has forgiven you so much? Why do you think that is?

​2. Have you ever tried to forgive someone without first asking God for the help to accomplish it? How did that turn out?


Challenge: Paul offers a helpful strategy to help us live for God day to day in these verses (1) imitate Christ’s compassionate, forgiving attitude (3:12-13), (2) let love guide your life (3:14), (3) let the peace of Christ rule in your heart (3:15), (4) always be thankful (3:15), (5) keep God’s Word in you at all times (3:16) , and (6) live as Jesus Christ’s representative. (3:17) 

WHAT? How do we even begin to do this? Think of that person who you would consider to be your worst enemy. Now, interrupt the bitterness by starting to pray for them. Jesus talked about “loving your enemies” and many turned away from Him because of it. However, He was not talking about having affection for your enemies; He was talking about an act of the will. So how do we do this? You can’t fall into this kind of love – it takes a conscience effort wrought by the power of the Holy Spirit. Grant your enemies the same respect and rights you desire for yourself.


Questions for further thought:
1. In what ways have I seen my enemies as lesser than myself? 

2. In relationship to question #1, why do you think that is?


Challenge: Do the heavy lifting of taking an inventory of those individuals you would consider to be an enemy. Ask God to give you a heart of compassion and caring for them and wait expectantly as He begins a heart change within you.

Because God has forgiven all sin for those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, we should not withhold forgiveness from others. A Christians, we should be the poster children of how to forgive. Realizing how completely Christ has forgiven us should produce a free and generous attitude of forgiveness toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is not to say that we just willy nilly forgive everyone for everything instantaneously to their face, especially minus repentance. It is more about a heart attitude that is fostered by the Lord as we freely forgive those who have wronged us privately to Him. 


Questions for further thought:
1. Do you find that forgiveness is an attitude you gravitate towards? Why or why not?

2. In what ways do you see forgiveness being intertwined with everyday life and activities? How have you dealt most recently with an offense against you?


Challenge: If you have been wronged in some way, consider praying for the person that has wronged you. True, it may not change them, but it certainly changes you.

Like a small root that grows into a great tree, bitterness springs up in our hearts and overshadows even our deepest Christian relationships. A “bitter root” can come when we allow disappointment to grow into resentment, or when we nurse our grudges over many years. Bitterness can bring jealousy, dissension, and immorality. All these things can be thwarted, however, by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds. So how is your bitterness meter?


Questions for further thought:
1. In what ways have you let bitterness go unchecked in your heart over a past or present offense?

2. How has the Holy Spirit helped you overcome these unhealthy feelings and begin to move on? If not, what is stopping you from asking Him for help today?

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Challenge: Commit to asking the Holy Spirit to change your heart and mind and to replace that root of bitterness with His joy and peace.

Jesus showed us the ultimate love by dying for us while we were still sinners. Paul breaks it down for us in understandable ways. Love doesn’t take offense. It is not prideful. It doesn’t take wrongs into account. It is not self-seeking; it does not dishonor others or get angry easily. None of those attributes are present in “civil” discourse today. The best way to ensure that we are not speaking in pride is to strive in every way we know how to speak in love.


Questions for further thought:
1. Can you think of something you said recently that was born out of pride in being right rather than out of love?

2. What can you do once you have spoken harshly or pridefully to help restore relationships?  


​Challenge: Read 1 Corinthians 13 each day for a week, allowing yourself to be steeped in love and expressing love to others.

When we are focused on correcting others, we lose sight of love. We also lose sight of love if we are too focused on correcting ourselves, being so worried about living perfectly in ways that might be obvious to others, like giving up all our money or enduring hardships to show how righteous we are. On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus asked his disciples to love one another as he loved them. He even demonstrated this by washing their feet.


Questions for further thought:
1. What do you find makes it hardest for you to show love toward others – when someone has a bad attitude? When someone doesn’t even seem to be trying?

2. Is there ever a time when it is loving to correct someone?  


​Challenge: Direct your love toward someone who is hard to love by praying for him or her for a week.

We often read this passage as a call to avoid judging others, and that is for sure part of the story. When we are offended by others and working hard to show them how wrong they are, there are two results: one is that they don’t perceive love, and the other is that we can be blind to our own sins. If we are careful to scrutinize our own characters in humility every bit as much as we look at others’ foibles, we have more credibility when we seek to correct others.


Questions for further thought:
1. What is the likely result if you accuse someone else of, say, being hot-headed when you yourself sometimes lose your temper?

2. Where have you had success in helping constructively remove the speck in your brother’s eye?  


​Challenge: Think of someone whose “speck” you would like to remove. Are there any “logs” that you need to remove from your eye first?

We can be sooo certain that we are right – we don’t do the REALLY bad sins, right? But Jesus calls us to an ever deeper understanding of the ways that we are wrong: not listening when someone is in pain; staring at our phones when we should be having family time; failing to tell our coworkers or neighbors about Jesus. It’s not about fixating on how bad we are; instead, we should always be asking for a clearer vision about who we are and turning it all over to Jesus.


Questions for further thought:
1. What is the most recent way in which you identified a “small” sin that needed correction?

2. What did you do with that realization?  


​Challenge: Pray for insight and a nudge from the Holy Spirit about where to seek improvement in your life.

Most of us have just a little bit of this pharisee’s attitude – thanking God that we aren’t like the sinners around us. This might not be terrible if we’re truly being grateful that, for example, we have never been tempted to do drugs or stray from our marriage, but it is hard not to let pride slip into this attitude. And let’s be honest: what virtue is there in resisting something you are not even tempted to do? We can get a distorted vision of our own worthiness – worthiness built on our own works or innate natures – when we start to compare ourselves to those around us. 


Questions for further thought:
1. What virtue do you credit yourself with that you find lacking in those around you?

2. Have you ever felt superior because of your faithful actions in a way that devalues others?  


​Challenge: Assess your attitudes toward those that might be less naturally gifted in some ways and even those whose poor choices have put them in difficult straits.