Forget About It
Liz keeps remembering every mean thing Spike has ever done to him. How can he get rid of this "record of wrongs"?
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: Tearing up a list of wrongs.
1. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says that love keeps no record of wrongs. Is it easier to remember the nice things people have done for you, or the bad things they have done to you? Why?
2. Could you make a list of every sin you have ever committed? How would that make you feel? Imagine a boss who kept a list of every mistake his workers ever made. Eventually his employees would be too afraid to show up for work! Psalm 130:3-4 says that if God kept a record of all sins, no one would be able to stand before him. Thankfully, the Bible also says in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us.
After you listen
Quiz
A: Because his improved memory helped him remember every bad thing Spike ever did to him.
A: She tore it up.
Reflect
In this episode, Liz finds it easier to forgive Spike after receiving Lucille’s forgiveness.
In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus told a story about a servant who had a huge debt forgiven by the king. That servant then demanded repayment of a small debt from a friend. When the friend couldn’t pay and asked for more time, the servant had him thrown in jail! The king was angry that the servant showed so little forgiveness after he had received so much from the king.
If you are a believer in Jesus, God has forgiven all your sins. God promises to “forget” your sins after you have been forgiven—he never holds past sins against you, so how can you hold past sins against others? “Love keeps no record of wrongs” shows your thankfulness to God for your forgiveness. When you look at someone who has sinned, don’t think about their past sins—think instead about how you can love them!
Would you like to dig deeper into how God wants us to forgive? Read Hebrews 8:10-12, Matthew 6:14-15 and 1 Peter 4:8-10.
Challenge
Psalm 32 reminds you that when you confess your sins to God, he doesn’t hold them against you any more. The Psalmist feels so much better when he receives God’s forgiveness. Is there a sin that has been making you feel bad? Confess it to God. Write it on a piece of paper and rip it up into tiny pieces. God won’t hold that sin against you any more!
Is there someone you need to forgive? Write their sin on another piece of paper and pray for God’s help to forgive them, then rip up that paper as well. Decide not to think about that sin when you think about the person. It’s hard, but with God’s help you can do it.
