BEFORE TIME: Week 1
Week 1 Introduction — God’s Love Revealed Through His Forgiveness
(Before Time)
Before the foundation of the world, because forgiveness is woven into His nature, God made a decision about love. Scripture tells us, “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). Long before humanity failed, long before sin entered the story, and long before you were born, God had already settled how He would respond to human weakness—not with distance, not with rejection, and not with punishment as His final word, but with forgiveness flowing directly from who He is.
That is the heart of Before Time: God’s love was not formed in response to your life; it existed before your life. His mercy was not invented after your mistakes; it was established in eternity. In other words, forgiveness is not God’s reluctant response to failure—it is God’s loving nature revealed in the face of failure.
The cross was not an emergency plan. Jesus is described as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). That means redemption was not an afterthought, and forgiveness was not created after sin—it was revealed through it. God’s love anticipated the fall and prepared restoration in advance. This first week invites you to see forgiveness not as God’s reaction to your weakness, but as a revelation of His unchanging heart. Forgiveness did not begin the moment you asked for it. It did not wait for your understanding, your apology, or your improvement. Scripture says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Forgiveness was established in God’s heart before you ever knew you needed it, and it was fully unveiled through Jesus Christ.
As you move through these seven days, you will begin to see forgiveness through a new lens. You will discover that God’s forgiveness is pre-forgiveness—grace that existed before sin ever appeared, and love that was already moving toward you before you ever moved toward Him. Paul writes that God was “in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Forgiveness flows from God’s nature, not from human performance, and reconciliation is not a fragile possibility—it is a finished invitation. And because Christ now lives in you, this forgiving nature is not something you strain to imitate; it is something you learn to live from. Scripture reminds us, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Forgiveness becomes possible not through sheer effort, but through identity—because the Forgiver lives within you, and His love becomes the new source of your responses.
This week is not about trying harder to forgive or forcing yourself to let things go while your heart stays bruised. It is about allowing the love of God to reshape how you see yourself, how you see others, and how you interpret what has happened to you. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). As His forgiveness settles deeply in your heart, you will find yourself less dependent on apologies, less controlled by offense, less triggered by old wounds, and more free to love without fear. Each day builds upon the last—revealing forgiveness as God’s nature, pre-forgiveness as your posture, sacrificial love as your strength, and reconciliation as the natural fruit. “Through Him, God reconciled all things to Himself, making peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). Take your time. Let these truths sink in. Allow the Holy Spirit to gently realign your thinking, soften what has grown hard, and heal what has quietly ached for a long time.
This is not a week about fixing others. It is a week about freedom—your freedom. As you live from God’s forgiveness, you will begin to see His love revealed not only in what you believe, but in how you live: how you respond when you could retaliate, how you speak when you could accuse, and how you love even when you feel vulnerable. Forgiveness is not weakness—it is the strength of love refusing to be imprisoned by pain. As you begin this week, be faithful not only to read, but to engage. Let each day become more than a devotional moment—let it become a transformative event. Pause. Reflect. Sit with the truth long enough for it to move from information to revelation. God’s love is not meant to be visited briefly and left behind; it is meant to reshape your inner world and overflow into everyday life. When you allow each day to shape how you think, love, and respond, transformation stops being something you hope for and becomes something you experience.
So take your time this week. Let forgiveness settle deeply. Let love do its quiet, powerful work. And as the Holy Spirit gently realigns your heart, you will discover that God’s love—revealed through His forgiveness—is not only something you receive; it is something you now live from in Before Time.
Promise 1461
God promises eternal life to those who believe in His Son.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one andonly Son, that whoever believes in Him
shall not perishbut have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
—————————————————
Dr. Daniel LeBlanc’s latest release now available on Amazon!
“Destined to Win”
(Buy now by clicking on the book below)
—————————————————
