asbc seek devotionals 2025 2 - Flipbook - Page 68
DEVOTIONAL JOURNAL | ALFRED STREET BAPTIST CHURCH
Day 32: Grace (and
Forgiveness)
REV. DR. JOY CHALLENGER-SLAUGHTER
“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 NIV
The Best Man Holiday is one of my favorite Christmas movies. This sequel to the iconic
work, The Best Man continues to wrestle with the themes of love, friendship, grace, and
forgiveness. I confess that I often feel like a one-woman band when I encourage people to
extend grace when interacting with others.
In grace, I specifically note the aspect that manifests as forgiveness to those we deem
unworthy or undeserving. I admonish us to extend grace (often coined as unmerited
favor) to someone, not because they deserve it, but instead because we ourselves have
needed grace manifesting as forgiveness in our own lives. How many times have we
been the ones who needed to be forgiven (or receive the grace of a do-over) when our
previous actions made it unmerited? Yet, in the Divine Spirit that is God, grace was given,
and we were forgiven.
We see this theme play itself out between Lance and Harper in, The Best Man Holiday.
At first, Lance is unwilling to forgive Harper because of his one-time betrayal, yet he
needs forgiveness for his transgressions during his early years with his (now) wife, Mia.
We don’t give the gift of grace (and forgiveness) out of compulsion. Instead, I suggest
we extend it because ‘it is but by the Grace of God’ that we have received forgiveness,
restoration, and another chance in our lives, relationships, careers, etc.
JOURNAL
REFLECTIONS
Are you willing to show up as grace in
someone’s life as a vessel and expression of
God’s love manifested toward you?
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PRAYER
Lord, teach me how to show up as grace that I may fully
live in the forgiveness that You have given. Amen.
