For negative, destructive thoughts to be done away with, what do followers of Christ need to do?

God’s word says:
(NASB) Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

Yesterday’s devotional focused on the “Burdens Not Worth Bearing”: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice.  Ugly attitudes, emotions and motives are destructive to…yourself!

You and I have some choices to make: do we hang on and coddle those destructive and negative attitudes or do we replace them with kindness, tender-heartedness and forgiveness toward those who have hurt us or caused us sorrow?

Kindness = gentleness, being goodhearted
Tender-hearted = soft-hearted, empathetic
Forgive = pardon, absolve
[How are we to forgive?  As God in Christ has forgiven us!]

Have you and I insulted, grieved and/or caused our Savior and Lord sorrow?   The answer is probably ‘yes’…and much more have we sinned against our God.  Yet, He forgives you and me when we turn to Him in repentance.

Do you and I need a different attitude toward those who have hurt us or caused us sorrow and heartache, or even anger?   Choosing to be kind, choosing to be tender-hearted and choosing to forgive them will be the way God has chosen to forgive us through Christ our Savior and Lord.

This is how we live to please our Lord…

Forgive as God Forgives You…