June 30
Scripture: Matt 6:15
Source author: Jessica Talbot
June 30
To Forgive a Thief But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. —Matthew 6:15
While we lived in the Republic of Panama, my husband was attacked by a robber wielding a knife. Though wounded, my husband resisted until the man escaped into a nearby housing complex. In a rare act, local residents turned the thief over to the police. We had been robbed before in other developing countries, and I had personally found stealing to be a particularly difficult offense to forgive. Nevertheless, God gently nudged me to avoid judging by my own cultural standards and to start loving as Jesus loved. This violent incident was my toughest challenge. When the young Panamanian was sentenced to a year in jail, I learned that God had transformed me. Instead of taking satisfaction in the man’s fate, I felt sad and grieved for his future. My husband and I forgave him and sincerely prayed he would survive the harsh jail conditions and turn his life around. Even though we were robbed again in Panama, the spirit of anger was no longer there. God’s love had shown me how to forgive a thief.
Only by God’s divine love can we truly forgive from the heart. — Jessica Talbot —