80 Days of Forgiveness

By Amber Bryan

This study is called 80 Days of Forgiveness, but forgiveness isn't the only thing discussed because there's so much wrapped up in Christ's forgiveness. In this study, we will explore many topics that are common in almost everyone's life, but each day will center on forgiveness in some way.

 

Forgiveness is a life altering experience, something that can't be put into words. It's love that can't be explained. It's forgiveness that's undeserved, yet it's there for us; free to us. All we have to do is seek forgiveness through Christ. God is truly amazing to offer His love to such undeserving people; yet He does. And the only thing it costs us is living a life based on Jesus instead of the world. Amazing. Harder than it sounds, but truly amazing and totally possible if we are sincere in seeking Jesus.

 

To really forgive someone, the Word must be understood because we are supposed to behave, believe, and show who we are in certain ways; each of which point to every single page of the Bible. Being able to really forgive someone, and ourselves, doesn't come from within, it comes from understanding what Jesus went through so that we can truly be forgiven. When you understand His sacrifice, you should have no problem with forgiving yourself and others. It isn't about what you do or how you feel, it's about what was done for you to give you real life.

Book Length: 273 pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amber Bryan
• Release date: Dec 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215906880

Amber Bryan

I have been writing since I was about three. As my mom drove around looking for a specific street, it dawned on me that I couldn't understand the squiggly things she was looking at and that really upset me! That night, I brought my little wooden puzzle map of the United States to my dad and asked him to teach me to read. The first word I learned to read was Mississippi! After that, I practiced every day and by Kindergarten, I was reading and writing at a 5th grade level; as well as writing my own short stories and poetry. Throughout my life, my love for literature has grown and become a huge part of who I am. I love the written word! I firmly believe that writing, if done well, has a beautiful way of painting a picture for the reader and opening a whole world of imagination and possibilities. I believe this so firmly that I hold a double Master’s degree in Education and English and have  taught many college-level English classes, helping students improve both their writing and storytelling skills. After being called to believe in and follow Jesus Christ, I began reading and studying the Bible on a daily basis and the Holy Spirit took over; inspiring me to write Biblical content that is based on research into the Word and how it applies to daily life. My goal is to explain and teach the Word in a way that makes it understandable and applicable to everyone, hopefully helping them to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ. On my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, taking my dogs to run out their ridiculous amounts of energy at the beach, helping out in my church and community, and various types of home improvement, furniture restoration, and art.

Book preview

This study is called 80 Days of Forgiveness, but forgiveness isn’t the only thing discussed because there’s so much wrapped up in Christ’s forgiveness. In this study, we will explore many topics that are common in almost everyone’s life, but each day will center on forgiveness in some way.

Forgiveness is a life altering experience, something that can’t be put into words. It’s love that can’t be explained. It’s forgiveness that’s undeserved, yet it’s there for us; free to us. All we have to do is seek forgiveness through Christ. God is truly amazing to offer His love to such undeserving people; yet He does. And the only thing it costs us is living a life based on Jesus instead of the world. Amazing. Harder than it sounds, but truly amazing and totally possible if we are sincere in seeking Jesus.

To really forgive someone, the Word must be understood because we are supposed to behave, believe, and show who we are in certain ways; each of which point to every single page of the Bible. Being able to really forgive someone, and ourselves, doesn’t come from within, it comes from understanding what Jesus went through so that we can truly be forgiven. When you understand His sacrifice, you should have no problem with forgiving yourself and others. It isn’t about what you do or how you feel, it’s about what was done for you to give you real life.

I thank you for allowing this study into your life! I pray that you are led, according to God’s Will for your life, as you read it each day.

Grab a notebook for your answers and get ready for a lifechanging experience!

Father God, I thank you that you have placed this book in this person’s hands. I pray Lord that they are led each time they read it deeper into their relationship with Christ. I pray also Lord that they begin to understand what true forgiveness looks like because of Your Son Jesus. Thank you Father for this opportunity. May the Holy Spirit be ever present and direct each moment of study and worship. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

Day 1

Showing forgiveness is probably one of the hardest things we are faced with. Society teaches us that if we’re wronged, we should retaliate and get back at the person; often in a worse way than they wronged us. Society teaches us to repay evil with evil. The Bible teaches us different.

The first verse I chose to share in our 80 day journey happens to echo my above words:

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

Romans‬ ‭12:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

You can’t give back ugliness and hate and expect a person to react in a good way. But there’s more to it than that - we are Children of God and we are called to serve and minister God’s Grace to a lost and hostile world. We are to live, as much as possible, at peace with others - - Don’t let this fool you! You have the ability to live at peace with even the most hateful people, it’s all about the choices you make about YOUR actions and reactions. That’s all you have control over and you can choose to act like a Child of God if you want to.

Lord I pray that this message begins to open the hearts of people to Your magnificent love and forgiveness. We are able to forgive Father, because You forgive us. I pray that even the hardest of hearts might be softened and reconciled to You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Who do you need to forgive?

What do you need to forgive?

Do you believe you need to forgive?

Day 2

Ephesians 2:8 says:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ and nothing else.

Ephesians 2:9 states: not of works, lest any man should boast.

If we got to Heaven dependent on what we did, there would be some of us who were unable to go because we have very little to offer or were able to do very little because of circumstance. Through Jesus, God leveled the playing field. Anyone can have faith, show their faith, act on faith, be kind through faith, worship and believe through faith. Faith isn’t determined by your bank account or possessions. Faith is determined by your relationship with Christ.

Why are we able to have this amazing faith? Because God loves us and forgives us. We are incredibly blessed to have a God who doesn’t hate, doesn’t punish; He loves and He forgives us if we seek His forgiveness! Of all the horrible things a human can do, God is willing to forgive if we honestly seek His forgiveness and love His Son.

Now why shouldn’t we extend this beautiful love to others and forgive them as well? We have the best example of how to do it. We have the groundwork laid before us. We always have a way through Christ Jesus. How? Ephesians 2:10 tells us:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

We are able to forgive because God forgives us. Forgive. Forget. Move on and act as the workmanship of God. Act as you were created to act.

What are some things you need to be forgiven for?

How can you seek forgiveness for these things?

Day 3

"A soft answer turneth away wrath:

But grievous words stir up anger." Proverbs‬ ‭15:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Can you imagine the amount of problems that would be avoided if people spoke to others kindly, regardless of the situation?

How does it make you feel when someone speaks to you in an ugly way? Mad? Hurt? Confused? Depressed? Chances are, your ugly words produce exactly the same feelings in others.

We live in a world where kindness and forgiveness are synonymously used with earning - if someone wants kindness, they better do something to earn it. If someone wants forgiveness, they also have to earn it; but the price is usually much higher. These types of relationship transactions are damaging and often come with a set of unreachable goals. Why? Because they’re not built around true forgiveness, they’re built around making a person feel better. What happens if you don’t really know the person who needs to earn your forgiveness (such as a store clerk)? That poor person may go on forever interacting with you in an ugly, hateful relationship transaction each time you’re in their store because you don’t know them; therefore there’s no way for them to earn your kindness, much less your forgiveness.

The end of Proverbs 15:1 says, But grievous words stir up anger.

The definition of grievous is of something bad; very severe or serious.

Our words have a ridiculous amount of power. Used right, they heal. Used wrong, they destroy.

The kindness of our words matters. The beginning of Proverbs 15:1 says, A soft answer turneth away wrath. The definition of wrath is extreme anger. Sounds a lot like the definition of grievous. Extreme anger is usually very severe or serious.

Any time we speak any way other than kind we are producing wrath. It may not come from the person in the moment, but the anger will come as the person marinates on your words. Because that’s the power of words - they stick in a person’s mind for them to review over and over.

Forgiveness hinges on the words we choose to use. If we speak kindly, we probably won’t need to seek forgiveness because we won’t cause pain. If we speak with ugliness and hate, we begin an unending cycle of negativity and hurt that’s often hard to forgive because no one wants to be the bigger man by forgiving. And from that, the negative relationship is born.

Today, and every day, I hope that we all weigh our words before we speak. Breathe. Bite your tongue. Count to 10. Walk away. Most importantly, consider how you might make the other person feel. Are those feelings going to make it easy to forgive you for causing them? If not, watch your words. Because we do cause the way a person feels - the person wouldn’t have felt like that if you hadn’t opened your mouth.

One last thing, which is the most important: We are able to forgive because God first forgave us:

and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The forgiveness God shows us comes with instructions for us to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving to those around us. And from that, positive relationships and feelings are born.

What words have you spoken that need forgiveness?

How can you seek forgiveness for these words?

What can you do to not repeat using words that hurt others?

How can you show forgiveness to those who have used words to hurt you?

How can you help someone become better at using their words for love instead of hate?

Day 4

Today’s verse about forgiveness comes straight from the mouth of Jesus:

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Jesus spoke these words during the Sermon on the Mount, sometimes called The Beatitudes.

A Beatitude is defined as supreme blessedness. The Sermon on the Mount is a sermon presented to us by Jesus Himself on how we can find supreme blessedness! In other words, how we can be richly blessed according to God’s specifications, not the world’s. Richly blessed in spiritual things, not worldly things.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus mentions the following; which are things that we all experience:

The poor in spirit

They that mourn

The meek

They that hunger and thirst after righteousness

The merciful

The pure in heart

The peacemakers

They that are persecuted for righteousness sake

Those who are reviled, persecuted, and evil spoken against falsely for Jesus’ sake (Matthew 5:12). Jesus ends this section of the Sermon by saying, Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Rejoice and be glad for the persecution you will undoubtedly face for proclaiming Jesus’ Mighty Name! The devil only comes against those who are going against him in the name of Jesus. Think about that.

Back to forgiveness. The verse for today is Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The definition of merciful is showing or exercising mercy.

The definition of mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

Think about that for a second: mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. *When it’s in within their POWER to punish or harm.

We have that power every day, and punishment or harm can come in many different forms. Not speaking to a person. Gossip. Hateful behavior. Actual physical harm.

We have a choice in every situation to show our power of punishment or to show mercy. Mercy, simply put, is not punishing the person; not showing that power, letting it go.

Has that ever happened to you? You do something really horrible and you expect the person to tear you a new one and never speak to you again, but instead they forgive you. What a surprise that is when it happens! That’s showing mercy. And that’s the same mercy God shows us.

We don’t deserve to be forgiven, but we can be. We don’t deserve to go to Heaven, but a way has been made.

We don’t deserve anything God does for us. He doesn’t do it out of obligation, God isn’t obligated to any of us. Everything God does for us comes from love; from mercy. God’s love and mercy includes the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ instruction on the things mentioned. Without it, we wouldn’t know how to stay strong and remain faithful through everything we go through for one very specific purpose - to be with our Father in Heaven.

Mercy is forgiveness, even in the worst of situations. Mercy is what we will be shown on Judgment Day if we have faith in Jesus. Instead of eternal damnation, we will spend eternity in Heaven. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord we can do this now for others!

Instead of causing someone to live in damnation because you won’t forgive, show them mercy. Forgive them for whatever they did, no matter how terrible - you have done terrible things too. Give the person freedom while they are here. More importantly, give yourself freedom. And remember, you can be forgiven if you honestly seek Christ and allow Him to forgive you.

and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

What has been done to you that you believe is unforgivable?

After reading today’s study, is it really unforgivable?

Day 5

Today’s verse is Hebrews 8:12:

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,

And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

To gain the context of this verse, I have included verses 10, 11, and 13; two verses before the verse of the day and one after:

10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

After those days, saith the Lord;

I will put my laws into their mind,

And write them in their hearts:

And I will be to them a God,

And they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour,

And every man his brother, saying,

Know the Lord:

For all shall know me,

From the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,

And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith,

A new covenant, he hath made the first old.

Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." Hebrews‬ ‭8:10-13‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Notice a couple of things:

-These verses come from Hebrews, which is located in the New Testament after Jesus died and rose from the dead.

-It appears as if God is only speaking to the house of Israel because of the beginning of verse 10: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel...

I want to encourage you today: If you are not Jewish, you are not forgotten! Jesus died for the sins of the everyone. He came for the Jews because they were expecting Him because of the prophetic word in the Old Testament. But He died for everyone; He died so that all of His lost sheep might have a way to Him. He died so that His lost sheep, both Jew and Gentile, would have a way to Him through the forgiveness of their sins. Sins that are forgiven because of, and only through, Jesus.

Don’t believe me? Here are a few verses of this truth that go all the way back to the Old Testament:

And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭66:19‬).‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

-This is a reference to Paul, Timothy, Titus, and the others who traveled to the places mentioned in the verse spreading the Word about Jesus to the Gentiles in those areas and helping to start churches.

"A light to lighten the Gentiles,

And the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke‬ ‭2:32‬).‬‬‬‬‬‬

-When Jesus was a baby, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, as per custom. When they arrived, they were met by a man named Simeon who was filled with the Holy Ghost and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ (‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:26‬).‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

This man took Jesus into his arms, blessed God, and said,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, According to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, And the glory of thy people Israel (Luke‬ ‭2:29-32‬).‬‬‬‬

but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; (Romans‬ ‭2:8-9‬).‬‬‬‬‬‬

-We are all, both Jew and Gentile, promised tribulation and wrath (eternal damnation, hell) for the evil, unbelieving, sinful lives we lead.

And while we are all promised eternal damnation and hell for going against God, we also know this:

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit ‭‭(1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:13‬).‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Jew or Gentile, we are all under the same law: God’s Law. A law that offers new life.

How does this tie in to forgiveness? Well, the only way anyone can be truly forgiven for their sins is through Jesus, which means to be forgiven you must obey God’s Law which says we are to believe in Jesus Christ and place Him above all else.

It doesn’t matter where you came from or who you are, Jesus died for the sins of the world so the sinners in the world could find true forgiveness and new life. I pray that you accept this most precious gift from God.

Have you accepted the gift of forgiveness through Jesus? If so, how do you treat others because of it?

Day 6

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John‬ ‭13:34‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

We love one another because Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to die for us.

We forgive one another because Jesus loves us so much that He would die so that we can be forgiven.

The ending of John 13:34 has an important grammar detail: the word that. Jesus says, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. The word that is used to illustrate everything Jesus has done to love us, meaning we are supposed to take note of these things and follow His example.

Jesus spoke the truth -We speak the truth.

Jesus showed faith -We show faith.

Jesus showed compassion -We show compassion.

Jesus showed Righteous Indignation toward acts that went against God -We show Righteous Indignation (it’s the only anger we’re supposed to have - anger toward the things that go against God).

Jesus showed mercy -We show mercy.

Jesus showed love -We show love.

Jesus did