BEFORE TIME: Day 4
Day 4 — Living in God’s Love Through Your Divine Ability to Forgive
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”
— Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)
Living in God’s Love Through Your Divine Ability to Forgive
God will never ask you to forgive from your own strength, willpower, or emotional capacity—he gives you a source. We forgive “just as” God in Christ forgave us, and that phrase changes everything. It tells us that forgiveness is not something we struggle to produce; it is something we live from. God’s forgiveness toward you did not begin when you apologized. It did not wait for understanding, remorse, or behavioral change. You were forgiven in Christ before you were born and before the earth was created. His forgiveness flowed from His nature, not from your response. That is the forgiveness Paul is pointing us to—not a fragile forgiveness, but a finished one.
When Scripture says, “just as God in Christ forgave you,” it means our forgiveness is patterned after a forgiveness that is already complete. We are not forgiving in order to be forgiven; we are forgiving because forgiveness has already been given. This is why pre-forgiveness is possible. We are not inventing grace—we are expressing grace. Because Christ lives in you, God’s forgiving nature now lives in you. Forgiveness is no longer something you save for extreme situations; it becomes your default posture.
This changes how you live in relationships. You no longer have to wait for apologies, explanations, or changed behavior before your heart stays free. You forgive ahead of time, not because others deserve it, but because God’s love deserves expression through your life. You stay free because freedom is who you are now, not because circumstances finally improved.
Living this way keeps you kind and tenderhearted. Offense no longer has authority over your emotions. Resentment no longer dictates your reactions. The quiet but destructive “you’re wrong and I’m right” mindset loses its grip. Instead, you stay aligned with heaven’s verdict rather than human disappointment. This is not weakness—it is spiritual maturity rooted in identity and secured in love.
Today, let this truth settle deeply: the same forgiveness God extended to you in Christ is the forgiveness now flowing through you. As you choose to live from that finished forgiveness, your relationships become places where God’s love is revealed—not strained, not conditional, not fragile, but free.
Prayer
Father, thank You that You forgave me in Christ completely and freely, long before I ever deserved it. Thank You that this forgiveness is now my source and my model. Today, I choose to forgive others just as You forgave me—from grace, not reaction; from freedom, not offense. Keep my heart tender and my life aligned with Your love. Let Your forgiveness be seen through me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
—————————————————
Promise 1466
God promises an end to suffering and death.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.” (Revelation 21:4)
—————————————————
Dr. Daniel LeBlanc’s latest release now available on Amazon!
“Destined to Win”
(Buy now by clicking on the book below)
