Week 1 / 4
How God forgives us
Take a closer look at Psalm 103:10-13, which highlights God’s overwhelming grace and raises the question of how God forgives us. Throughout the week you can use the materials to go deeper into the topic.
Choose a version
Forgiveness
Gather in his presence
Gather together and begin your time together in reflection prayer.
“God, reveal to us how forgiveness has affected our lives for the good.”
Spend 5 minutes reflecting quietly on how forgiveness has affected your lives for the good.
Now share with the group the times that came to mind.
Read the Word
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
Reflection
What things stand out to you in this passage?
How does God forgive us?
How does that compare to experiences you have had with people forgiving you?
How does this give us a deeper understanding of how we can forgive others?
The Practice
This is something for you to do personally throughout the week.
Take some time for stillness before the Lord. This is just a time to be available to hear from God and synchronize your thoughts with him.
Take some time to share with God what is heavy on your heart and finish with reflecting on God's goodness.
Write down three things where you have experienced God’s goodness in this week.
Part One
Examine your life and see if there is anything that you need to ask God for forgiveness for.
Is there a wall that has been built between you and him?
Ask him what needs to happen in order for that wall to be torn down.
Whatever he shows you, bring it to him and lay it in his hands. Allow God to speak healing in your life.
Praise God for what he is doing in your life.
Part Two
God is a good father and he is the one who is forming us and transforming us. He does this through his word, through speaking to us directly and through other people. God desires for us to live in the right relationship with him and with others. Today we want to take an extended amount of time to reflect on a passage of Scripture and to ask the Lord to speak to us through this passage.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Reflection
What are the things God is speaking to you through this verse? Take time to journal about it and reflect.
The greatest gift we have received is salvation and the forgiveness of our sins so we can have relationship with God. Are you holding onto unforgiveness?
Talk to God about it.
Share your pain with him.
Ask him for help to be able to forgive those who have harmed you. Continue to pray over these things throughout the week.
Forgiveness is a process. Let God walk with you through the process.
Group Discussion Questions
- What do you find difficult or even scary about doing this practice?
- How can your homegroup encourage you during this week to seek God in this area of forgiveness?
- What are the good things that could happen after addressing areas of unforgiveness?
Exercise
Hand out pieces of paper and have each person write their name and their prayer request for the week. Put the papers in a bowl and have each person draw a name. This is the person they should pray for and encourage throughout the week.
Pray together.
© Copyright 2024 – Copyright notice
All photographs and graphics as well as the design of this online-document are protected by copyright. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright lies with generations church Leipzig e.V. Please ask Tyler Charvat (Legal Notice generationschurch.de) if you would like to use the mentioned contents of this document.
Texts of this document are licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. This means you may distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only and you are required to give credit to the creator.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Forgiveness
The Practice
This is something for you to do personally throughout the week.
Take some time for stillness before the Lord. This is just a time to be available to hear from God and synchronize your thoughts with him.
Take some time to share with God what is heavy on your heart and finish with reflecting on God's goodness.
Write down three things where you have experienced God’s goodness in this week.
Part One
Examine your life and see if there is anything that you need to ask God for forgiveness for.
Is there a wall that has been built between you and him?
Ask him what needs to happen in order for that wall to be torn down.
Whatever he shows you, bring it to him and lay it in his hands. Allow God to speak healing in your life.
Praise God for what he is doing in your life.
Part Two
God is a good father and he is the one who is forming us and transforming us. He does this through his word, through speaking to us directly and through other people. God desires for us to live in the right relationship with him and with others. Today we want to take an extended amount of time to reflect on a passage of Scripture and to ask the Lord to speak to us through this passage.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Reflection
What are the things God is speaking to you through this verse? Take time to journal about it and reflect.
The greatest gift we have received is salvation and the forgiveness of our sins so we can have relationship with God. Are you holding onto unforgiveness?
Talk to God about it.
Share your pain with him.
Ask him for help to be able to forgive those who have harmed you. Continue to pray over these things throughout the week.
Forgiveness is a process. Let God walk with you through the process.
© Copyright 2024 – Copyright notice
All photographs and graphics as well as the design of this online-document are protected by copyright. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright lies with generations church Leipzig e.V. Please ask Tyler Charvat (Legal Notice generationschurch.de) if you would like to use the mentioned contents of this document.
Texts of this document are licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. This means you may distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only and you are required to give credit to the creator.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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