WEEK 19 | Forgive By Showing and Giving Love

Every year, somebody gets cut from a team, gets passed in the draft, and gets dismissed or mistreated in the locker room.

Many athletes are not able to let those slights go, and many of them hold on to those grudges intentionally to use them as motivation. 

Tom Brady probably still gets emotional when thinking about getting passed over for six other quarterbacks, and 192 other players. After winning the super bowl after leaving the New England Patriots for the Tamba Bay Buccaneers, he released a commercial including headlines, voice-overs, and tweets from his many skeptics and unbelievers, including athletes, sportswriters, and fans, criticizing him and doubting his ability to play at a high level at his age.

Tom Brady has used those slights, grudges, and criticism to help him win a record 7 Super Bowls.

The ultimate grudge-holder in sports might be Michael Jordan. If you looked at Jordan wrong, he might hold a grudge against you. He made up grudges to motivate himself, and he used his hall of fame speech to attack everyone from his school coach and team to his college coach and roommate, to even his kids.

But is it really okay to hold grudges? These two used grudges to propel them to greatness, but be careful, because even the most harmless grudges can lead to anger, and anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires (John 1:20).

How are we supposed to handle the grudges we have? When someone does us wrong, intentionally or unintentionally, how are we supposed to respond?

I think about the love of a mother. There is no love like a mother’s love. A mother has the difficult job of running the house, providing guidance and discipline, doing all of the junk work with little thanks or praise, and they wake up and do it over and over again.

If anyone can or should hold a grudge, a mother could because of all she has to go through, but she doesn’t. She just loves, gives love, and shows love.

Jesus taught the disciples, "If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15)."

In Ephesians, Paul wrote, "In your anger, do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27)." He later wrote, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:29-32).

Though anger is a human emotion that we all feel, don’t hold onto a grudge in a way that will turn into anger. Don't hold on to your anger because it keeps you from the righteousness of God. Instead of holding on to anger, forgive the people who have done you wrong. Do what you can to build people up, and be kind, compassionate, and forgiving.

THIS WEEK

1 - Who is one person that you can forgive this week?

2 - What is one grudge that you are holding on to that you need to let go of?

3 - What makes forgiveness so difficult?

4 - What is a Bible verse or inspirational story or quote that you can use to help you forgive someone or overcome a grudge?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends.”

This week, when I am feeling down, slighted, and start feeling angry, I will come back to this verse. I will come back to love.

For a Google Doc version of this devo, click here: Week 19 Devo: Forgive By Showing and Giving Love