Why Should You Forgive? - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - May 16, 2025

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Why Should You Forgive?
By Rick Warren

“The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.” Matthew 18:27 (NIV)

Are you tired of walking through life with the weight of bitterness or resentment?

We were never meant to live that way—but we’re human. So instead of letting God handle justice and seeking restoration in our relationships, we often find it easier to hold onto the hurt, replaying it over and over in our minds. 

But God’s Word tells us why we need to let go of our hurt and resentment. We’ve got to release it instead of rehearsing it. We need to forgive.

Why do you need to forgive?

Because God forgives you.

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the story of a king who forgives his servant. Verse 27 says, “The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go” (NIV). Just as the king canceled the debt of this servant, God sent Jesus Christ to pay for your debt. Everything you’ve ever done wrong in your life has already been paid for. 

“When you were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins. He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14 NCV).

Because resentment is self-torture.

It is a self-inflicted wound. Whenever you’re resentful, it always hurts you more than the person you’re holding a grudge against. In fact, while you’re still worrying about something that happened years ago, the other person has forgotten about it! Your past is past, and it can’t hurt you anymore unless you hold onto it.

Because you need forgiveness every day.

The Bible teaches very clearly that we cannot receive what we are unwilling to give. Do you want to be forgiven? The Bible says you need to be forgiving. 

Forgiveness is a lifestyle. It’s not just something you do one time. You need it every day of your life. You’ve got to ask for forgiveness. You’ve got to accept forgiveness from God and from others. And you’ve got to offer forgiveness. Forgiveness must be continual. It must be enjoyed, and it must be employed.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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