Daily Reading Week 8
Sunday
Matthew 6:14-16
Discover:
Jesus doesn't just teach us to pray “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12)—He immediately explains why this matters so deeply. In a world full of grudges, bitterness, and refusal to admit wrong, He calls His followers to live differently: Forgiven people forgive—and are forgiven.
Think about your own heart for a moment. Apart from Christ, we were once “foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). That was us—rebellious, hateful, unforgiving by nature. The world around us reflects the same: family rifts that last decades, political finger-pointing with no apologies, online hatred that turns violent, everyday hurts where people demand payment but never give grace.
Yet God did something astonishing. When His goodness and loving kindness appeared in Jesus, He saved us—not because we earned it, but “according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4-6). We were forgiven an infinite debt through the death of God's own Son. We who owed everything were released completely.
Jesus illustrates this in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35): a man forgiven a massive, unpayable sum refuses to cancel a tiny debt owed to him—and faces judgment for it. The point hits home: If God has forgiven me so much, how can I hold onto bitterness over what others owe me?
The next time someone wrongs you—big or small—pause and remember: “I sinned grievously against a holy God, yet He forgave me through the blood of His Son. Shouldn't I forgive this?” Let that truth melt resentment and free your heart.
Respond:
• Where do you feel the weight of unforgiveness?
• How does Jesus connect forgiveness and freedom?
Monday
Psalm 32 (focus v.1-2)
Discover:
David pours out his soul in Psalm 32 after tasting God's pardon for deep sin. He doesn't hide the weight of unconfessed guilt—his bones wasted away, his strength dried up like summer heat (vv. 3–4). But when he finally confessed, acknowledged his sin, and stopped hiding it, God forgave him instantly (v. 5). What relief! What joy!
The psalm opens with a double declaration of blessedness for the forgiven:
• Transgression forgiven
• Sin covered (that Hebrew word for "covered" speaks of love veiling shame, hiding our disgrace)
• The Lord no longer counts iniquity against us
This isn't partial mercy—it's complete. God doesn't tally our wrongs anymore. He removes them entirely.
Paul quotes these exact verses in Romans 4 to teach justification by faith alone. Forgiveness means sin is not imputed to us, and in its place, Christ's perfect righteousness is imputed to us. We aren't just pardoned (our debt canceled); we're declared righteous, credited with Jesus' obedience. We can't earn this—it's all mercy, received by turning from sin and clinging to God in faith and repentance.
The forgiven soul is the truly blessed one—free, secure, and rejoicing in God's mercy. Rest in the full blessing: pardoned and righteous in Christ.
Respond:
• What hurt have you avoided acknowledging?
• How might honesty open the door to healing?
tuesday
Hebrews 12 (focus v.14-15)
Discover:
In the race of faith, we're running toward the finish line with eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1–2). The author of Hebrews reminds us that we're part of something greater—God's plan to bring His people to full perfection in the new creation (Hebrews 11:39–40). But until that day, we live in a world of struggle, and one subtle danger can derail us and others: a root of bitterness taking hold in the heart.
This isn't just mild irritation—it's a deep-seated resentment that springs up like a poisonous plant, spreading trouble and defiling many. Bitterness toward God (for unanswered prayers or hard providences) or toward others (unforgiven wrongs) poisons the soul. It causes trouble in relationships, in the church, and in our witness. Worst of all, it can harden us, making us resistant to the very grace we need to finish the race.
Hebrews warns us to watch over one another: “See to it…” This is mutual care in the body of Christ. We're to help ensure no one falls short of God's grace—not because grace can be truly lost by the elect (Romans 8:29–30 assures us perseverance), but because these warnings are God's means to stir His people to faithfulness. When the Lord warns and exhorts us, He simultaneously “moves and stirs up our hearts” to respond in worship, prayer, the sacraments, and Scripture. Believers heed these calls; they don't finally fall away.
We are to pursue God's grace diligently. When we actively seek Him through the means of grace, gratitude grows, love flourishes, and bitterness finds no fertile soil. A heart saturated with God's mercy—remembering how much we've been forgiven—has little room for resentment. Guard your heart against bitterness—it's a root that defiles many. Instead, let God's grace grow deep, producing fruit of peace, forgiveness, and joy for the race ahead.
Respond:
• What makes forgiveness difficult for you?
• How does trusting God with justice bring freedom?
Wednesday
Ephesians 1 (focus v.7)
Discover:
I recently finished reading through the book of Exodus as I read through the Bible chronologically this year. The first Passover always stirs my heart. The children of Israel smeared the blood of lambs on doorposts, shielding God's people from death and delivering them from brutal slavery in Egypt. That ancient Passover was no mere ritual; it was a shadow pointing to the greater reality: our ultimate deliverance through the blood of the true Lamb, Jesus Christ.
We were all born into a deeper, darker captivity. From Adam's fall in Eden, humanity was sold into slavery to sin and death—no self-help, no willpower, no escape on our own. Sin isn't just bad choices; it's a cruel tyrant that masters us, leading to addictions, shame, brokenness, and spiritual death. As Jesus declared, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). We were “sold under sin” (Romans 7:14), held captive in nature’s dark night, with no natural means of rescue.
But praise God—He didn't leave us there. In Christ, we have redemption: purchased, delivered, rescued at infinite cost. The price? Not silver or gold, but “the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19)—His life poured out as the ransom. Through His blood, our sins are forgiven completely, not partially or conditionally, but according to the boundless riches of His grace. Sin no longer reigns over us (Romans 6:12, 17–18); its mastery is broken. We are free—truly free—to live for the One who bought us.
This isn't abstract theology; it's your reality if you're in Christ. Every true church is a “deliverance church,” proclaiming this very gospel: salvation through Jesus alone, not human efforts or programs. You've been purchased with a priceless price—now live to glorify your Redeemer.
Respond:
• What weight are you carrying that God wants you to release?
• How does forgiveness restore peace?
THursday
Colossians 2 (focus v.13-14)
Discover:
Imagine the scene at Calvary: Jesus hangs on the cross, bloodied and broken. Above His head, the Romans affix a titulus—a public notice declaring the crime for which He dies: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” But in the heavenly ledger, a far greater inscription is being nailed to that same cross—not just a list of one man's supposed crimes, but the entire record of debt that we owe to a holy God.
From the moment we were born, we inherited an impossible obligation: perfect obedience to God's law. Every thought, word, and deed that falls short incurs a debt we can never repay—leading to eternal wrath and separation from Him. That record stood against us, a legal demand we could not satisfy, chaining us in spiritual death.
Yet on the cross, God did the unthinkable. He took that condemning record—the IOU of our every sin—and nailed it to Jesus. Christ bore not only the physical agony but the full weight of divine justice against our trespasses. The Father judged our sin in His Son's flesh, canceling the debt completely. It is paid in full. No balance remains. As the Westminster Confession declares, Christ “did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to His Father’s justice in their behalf.”
Because of this, God has made us alive together with Christ. We who were dead in sin are now forgiven—all our trespasses wiped clean. The record is gone. We are no longer debtors under condemnation; we are beloved children, credited with Christ's perfect righteousness.
Respond:
• Where does shame try to define you?
• How does forgiveness restore your identity?
Friday
Isaiah 43 (focus v.18-19)
Discover:
Like peeling back layers of an ancient archaeological site, God invites us to dig deeper into these familiar words. In Isaiah's day, the people had hardened hearts—deaf to warnings, blind to truth (Isaiah 42:18). Their persistent sin led straight to Babylonian captivity, a painful exile far from home. Yet even in judgment, God spoke hope. He reminded them of His past mighty acts—like parting the Red Sea to rescue from Egypt—but then He said, essentially: Don't fixate on that old deliverance. I'm about to do something even greater.
God promised a new rescue after 70 years of exile: a fresh path through the desert wilderness, life-giving streams in barren wastelands. This wasn't just about physical return to Jerusalem; those earthly deliverances were shadows pointing to the ultimate rescue—the coming Servant of the Lord (Isaiah's Suffering Servant, revealed in the New Testament as Jesus Christ). Through Him, God would make a way out of our deepest bondage: not to an empire, but to sin, death, and separation from Him. He would blot out transgressions (Isaiah 43:25), redeem us at infinite cost, and bring us into eternal freedom.
God wants to save His people—including you and me—from slavery to selfish ways, guilt, and spiritual death. He calls us today to listen, to look, to see what He's doing. The old patterns, the former failures, the regrets that keep us chained—He says, “Forget them. Do not dwell on the past.” Not because they don't matter, but because His new thing is springing up right now, if we'll perceive it.
God is doing a new thing—right now, in your life. Forget the former; perceive the new. He makes ways where there seem to be none and brings life to the barren places. Step forward in faith, eyes fixed on Him.
Respond:
• How does forgiveness impact the way you treat others?
• What fruit do you see growing through freedom?
Saturday
Genesis 5 (focus v.1)
Discover:
Genesis 5 opens a genealogy tracing humanity back to Adam, but right at the start, God reminds us of something profound: every person alive today descends from Adam and Eve, and every one of us bears two realities—the curse of original sin and the enduring dignity of being made in God's image (Imago Dei). Even after the fall, this image isn't erased; it's passed down through procreation, as seen when Adam fathers Seth “in his own likeness, after his image.”
This echoes Genesis 1 but deepens it here. God didn't speak humanity into existence like the animals or stars—He formed us from dust with His own hands and breathed life into us, showing intimate, personal love. We reflect Him in attributes like wisdom, love, justice, mercy, grace, and power. He appointed us as vice-regents to exercise dominion over creation—tending the garden, stewarding the earth with care.
Yet the image is beautifully male and female. God created distinct sexes with differences—physical, mental, emotional, constitutional—yet both share the image fully and equally. He blessed them together and named them “Man” (adam), emphasizing unity in diversity. In Christ, this unity shines even brighter: “There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Equal value, different roles, all reflecting God's glory.
Most astonishingly, the image is passed on through generations. Seth bears Adam's likeness, and so do we—all sons and daughters of Adam and Eve inherit this divine imprint. Every infant, every elderly person, every neighbor, every enemy bears God's likeness. That means every human life has inherent, infinite value—not because of what we achieve, but because we reflect the Creator.
Sin has marred this image, twisting our dominion into selfishness and our relationships into conflict. But Christ came to restore it. In Him, we're being renewed in knowledge after the image of our Creator (Colossians 3:10). When we care for “the least of these,” we care for Him (Matthew 25:40). Loving others isn't optional—it's how we honor the God whose image they bear.
Respond:
• What does living free look like for you right now?
• How can you continue choosing forgiveness daily?