Forgive Us, As We Forgive
Month 8: Talking with God — The Praying Family · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Matthew 6:12, 14–15
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. … 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.
Memory Verse
“So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”— Matthew 6:9 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Jeremiah 18–22
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (The Lord is the Potter; we are the clay.)The Heart of It
Jesus put something surprising right in the middle of His prayer. He said, "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (). A "debt" here is a sin. It's a wrong we owe God for. Every one of us needs God's forgiveness every single day. And the wonderful news is that He gives it freely, because Jesus already paid our debt on the cross. But Jesus connects our asking to our giving. He even added that if we do not forgive others, neither will our Father forgive us (v. 15). That sounds strict. But it's really about the heart.
Here's the point. A heart that has truly received God's enormous forgiveness can't stay clenched and bitter toward others. We've been forgiven a mountain. So how can we refuse to forgive someone a molehill? Forgiving doesn't mean pretending the wrong didn't hurt. It doesn't mean pretending it didn't matter. It means letting go of the right to pay someone back, and handing that to God. Maybe your little brother breaks your toy. Maybe a friend says something unkind. Forgiveness is choosing to love them anyway, the same way the Father loves you. That's one of the clearest ways a family shows the world what God is really like.
Around the Table
God forgives us when we say sorry. And He wants us to forgive others too, even when it's hard.
Let's do it: Practice the words: "I forgive you." Now give someone in the room a big hug.
Jesus links being forgiven with forgiving. A forgiven heart becomes a forgiving heart.
Let's talk: Is it harder to say "I'm sorry" or to say "I forgive you"? Why?
Forgiveness isn't saying the wrong didn't matter. It's releasing the debt to God instead of holding a grudge (see ).
Let's go deeper: Is there someone you need to forgive? What's one step you could take this week?
💬 Conversation Starter
Has anyone ever forgiven you for something, and you felt that relief? Tell about it. That's a tiny taste of how God forgives us.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some say forgiveness is weak or unfair. But forgiveness isn't ignoring justice. It's trusting God to be the just Judge () instead of taking revenge ourselves. It takes great strength. And it's the very thing that breaks cycles of hurt. That's exactly what the world needs.
For Dad · Go Deeper
This is the only petition in the Lord's Prayer that Jesus circles back to explain (vv. 14–15). That tells us how seriously He takes it. Don't misread it as "earning" forgiveness. Salvation is by grace. Rather, an unforgiving heart reveals a heart that hasn't truly grasped grace. For your family, the testing ground is your own home. Siblings wrong each other daily. You and your spouse will need to model repentance and forgiveness out loud. One of the most powerful things a father can do is say to his children, "I was wrong. Will you forgive me?" That short word preaches the gospel louder than a lecture. And it gives them permission to do the same.
Draws on: Paul Tripp, Parenting; Tim Keller, on the parable of the unforgiving servant ().
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for forgiving all our sins because of Jesus. Help us forgive others the way You forgive us, quickly and from the heart. Take away any grudges in our family. In Jesus' name, amen."
A heart that knows it's been forgiven much will gladly forgive others.