06/10/2026
Hear the words of our Team Chaplin, Joey Hawkins.
Forgive and be forgiven
I’m going to hit you with three passages today, a sort of machine gun approach to this. But the passage in my reading today was in Colossians 3:12-13 which says, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
I love the way Paul uses the word “Put on” like you and I dressing for the day. Whatever clothes you wear, whether a button up and slacks, a polo and shorts, a dress formal or informal, or a swimsuit, what you wear determines what you are doing for the day. So Paul is telling the church to have compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience but the biggest takeaway is that they need to FORGIVE one another. He says specifically that it needs to be as the Lord has forgiven us. Two other passages comes to mind.
One is found in Matthew 6:14-15. Jesus says this after the Lord’s prayer where he said “Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us” which is what Paul is echoing in Colossians 3. But Jesus warns us with there words: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” This is less about God being vindictive against us and more that when we fail to forgive, we show our hearts and where they are before God. So forgive freely!
The third passage today tells us more about how God offers to forgive us. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If you fail to forgive others because you think you don’t have any issues, you are sorely mistaken. John reminds us that we all have sin, and that any single one of us confesses our sins before God, he forgives. Freely.
So this week, accept the grace and forgiveness of God and freely offer forgiveness to others. Doing so will keep you in God’s peace and plan.
Joey Hawkins