Daily Devo
Mercy over judgement
By: John Carrigan
Friday, November 28, 2025
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
If my brothers sold me into slavery, I’m not sure my response would be the same as Joseph's. Instead, I think thoughts of payback would flood my mind. We've all had a bad thought or two, and that initial "bad thought" isn't the problem. Holding on to those types of thoughts is where the real problem lies!
When I think about holding on to things, I’m reminded of a conversation at church several years ago. My wife and I were part of a small group, and one day a church Elder asked me about my background. When I told him I was an alcoholic, he quickly corrected me. He reminded me that was who I was, but that isn't who I am now. As a born-again believer, I'm no longer an alcoholic, I'm a brand-new creation!
I’m still working on the implications of that glorious perspective. No matter what we did or what happened to us in our past, it doesn’t define who we are. Our history is part of our testimony, but HIS story and how it changed our lives is what's important now. But as long as we’re here on earth, there will be a dynamic tension between our flesh and our spirit. But when we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, we are freed from the bondage of sin. Unbelievers ar enslaved to their sinful desires, but Christ followers are different. The moment we asked Jesus to be our Lord and Savior; He empowered to control our thoughts and our sinful desires.
For 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
Forgiveness isn't easy, but it's the right thing to do. As this verse from Matthew reminds us, forgiveness isn't optional, it's a command! Like Joseph, God says we must forgive everyone who has wronged us. He doesn't require it to make us uncomfortable; it's a command we must obey for our own good. As Christ followers, people may still "push our buttons”, but Jesus has empowered us to control how we’ll respond. After all, people and life's circumstances aren't sovereign, God is!
The concept of forgiving the ones that don't deserve it can be hard to understand... But God never asked us to understand it; He just commanded us to do it! If you're struggling to forgive the "undeserving", remember this: We didn't deserve God's forgiveness either, and He gave it to us anyway!