Do you pass over the sins of others as Jesus has done for you?
26 Jan 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Exodus 11
Exodus 12
Matthew 18:21-35
For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Do you pass over the sins of others as Jesus has done for you?
The Israelites need deliverance from Egypt after 430 years of captivity; however, they need God’s forgiveness more. He instructs them to apply lamb’s blood to their doorposts and lintel, causing the angel of death not to kill their firstborn. He says, “I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13). Jesus is our Passover Lamb; His blood applied to our life should move us to forgive others. Paul writes, “forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). We need to heed Jesus’ parable on forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35), showing that we must forgive others their trespasses against us because we’ve been forgiven so much more.
Employment Point: Pass over the sins of others because of God’s Passover Lamb.
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Reflections
“Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.”
Exodus 11:5, 9-10 NIV
- these few verses we have perhaps read it countless times. We know how Pharaoh who has his heart hardened so much that he refused to listen to Moses and do not allow them to leave to worship the Lord.
- The number of miracles performed has already outdone the ones that can be performed by wise men or magicians in his country. Yet he refused to believe.
- I’m just being reminded of how hard our hearts can be, choosing to believe in ourselves, ignoring all the warning signs that the Lord has shown us. Even when signs were given, we do not believe. We are like Thomas wanting the Lord to show us something factual or something that we can see. But then again, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”Hebrews 11:1 NIV. Many times the Lord has already shown or told us what will happen. He has already given us the wisdom to know what is evil and what are false teachings. But why is it that people cannot see and their eyes cannot hear?
- We are all blinded in some ways, not physically blind but blind in our hearts. Not open to correction or rebuke.
Father, I am sorry for the times I trusted myself more than You. I am sorry for the unbelief in me that refuses to accept Your plans. Please help me Lord, in my unbelief and help me to have more faith in You. Thank You Lord. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen 🙏🏻
“At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.”
Exodus 12:29-30 NIV
- This is a really strong reminder of who God is and His power. If we have forgotten how His wrath can look like, it is good to read Exodus 12 again.
“Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.””Exodus 12:32 NIV
- I was looking at Genesis about Jacob wrestling with God and would not let go till He blessed him. It was a perseverance that spoke to me. To cling on shamelessly to ask for blessings. Here, I see Pharaoh losing his firstborn and yet also ask for blessings. It reminds me of the persistent widow who never gave up, no matter what.
- May we too have the same kind of mindset to cling unto God regardless of what happened
““This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.””Matthew 18:35 NIV
- it is much easier to be on the receiving end of forgiveness and yet forget that we, having received forgiveness or grace, did not give that same kind of forgiveness or grace to others. It is as if the Lord wants to skin us alive. That’s definitely not the case.
- Having realised the importance of forgiveness, I do wish every one of us would be able to forgive others as how the Lord forgives us. To give others grace as how we received grace from God. Even as we prayed the Lord’s Prayer, may we all seek to not just recite, but also understand and do his will.
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Look Again and Consecrate
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
January 26
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field. . . will he not much more clothe you? —Matthew 6:30
A simple message is always a puzzle to those who aren’t simple. What Jesus is saying here is “God looks after those who seek his kingdom, so seek and don’t worry about anything else.” But we’ll never be able to take this message to heart if we don’t possess Jesus’s own simplicity.
*To be simple is to concentrate on our relationship with him.* We slip out of spiritual communion when we complicate things, worrying and overthinking and insisting we know better than God. We get lost in the cares of the world, and we forget the promise of “much more.” Jesus compares us to the “birds of the air” (Matthew 6:26): their only goal is to obey the principle of life inside them. What principle is inside us? Jesus says that if we are rightly related to him, obeying the Spirit inside, God will look after our “feathers.”
*To be simple is to grow where we are planted.* “See how the flowers of the field grow,” Jesus says (v. 28). Many of us refuse to grow where we’re planted, and the result is that we never take root, never blossom fully. Jesus says that we shouldn’t go running after the things we think we need. If we obey the life God has given us, he will look after the rest.
*To be simple is to consecrate each moment to God.* Consecration involves setting ourselves aside for one particular thing—giving it our attention, dedicating our actions to it. We can’t consecrate ourselves to God once and be done with it. We must consecrate continually, each moment and every action. If we do, we will find ourselves absolutely free: free to do God’s work, free to live lives of amazing simplicity, free to set aside confusion, angst, and worry.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.
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Reflections
Indeed life in the world has proved not just difficult but also complicated. There were too many wants. When we have clothes, we want better or nicer clothes. When we have shoes, we want it in different colours. We own more than one bag and do various things to make our life, not so simple.
If I were to think how a simple life looks like for a human, I think it would really be someone who feeds himself by the work of his hands. A farmer perhaps or any worker who earns his keeps. No need to think too much, just work. No competition or vying for promotion sort of thing, just diligently working.
In order to grow where we are planted, we need to first learnt to be content. If there is no contentment, there is no growth. Because one is constantly seeking for other things and not being still. This growing is not about promotion or ranks but more of growing in maturity in our faith, starting to eat solid food.
I think learning to be simple is something I am trying to learn how to do. To live simply, with much lesser things, no need too much elaboration or fancy stuff, just plain, simple life is what I am trying to accomplish. I guess something for 2026. Less is more sometimes. And I do think rather morbidly like how is someone who is not me, understands what I value. Like my own possessions if it was not explicitly spelt out, they would likely decide what they want to do best and knowing my sister, she would throw. Hahaha
So I guess we may also have to do some forward planning or at least tell someone our wishes so that it will not become a headache or trouble to our family when we are no longer around.
So yes, lesser things, less clutter, more space, more comfort, more time for the Lord. The same for our work or friends, etc. to be minimalist. It’s all about quality, not quantity.
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