November 19

Scripture Acts 7: 51-60

Stephen was a man of God in every sense of the word. He didn’t preach a popular message because the people couldn’t take the criticism. They hated it when he reminded them that they had done wrong. He told them they were just like their fathers because they had resisted the Holy Spirit and now history had repeated itself. Their fathers had persecuted the prophets and they had killed Jesus. They got very angry. They were so angry that they took Stephen out and stoned him.

Stephen was so much like the Saviour he loved. As he was being killed, he kneeled down and said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” When Jesus was drawing His last breath, he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Stephen remained true to Jesus to the end. He had a forgiving heart.

What a lesson we can learn from this today. We may never be stoned for what we believe but we may face situations where we will have to forgive someone. It is so important that we always forgive those we feel have wronged us. Jesus said a very sobering statement in Mark 11:25-26. He said that if we don’t forgive those who have wronged us, God will not forgive our trespasses. You may never agree with whatever the person did that hurt you, but you have to forgive them and leave the rest to God. We must never let unforgiveness reign in our hearts.




We must forgive everyone
If we have Christ within
Because of our love for Jesus
And our desire to be like Him
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