Are you meeting regularly with a discussion group? If you meet just once a week, you can find all of this week’s discussion questions in one place right here.

Question: When have you been forgiven? Was it a surprise to you, unexpected but welcome, or did you feel it was simply deserved and what you were owed? Please share that story with somebody else in your life.

Reading:

But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it. (Genesis 33:1-11 ESV)

Question: Can you find a connection to last week’s story? Read the story carefully, read last week’s story carefully and see if you can find some parallel words, statements, ideas, or otherwise.

Question: How should we respond to this story? What does it teach us, for people like us today, about forgiveness in our lives?

Challenge: What have you been forgiven for by others, and by God? Pause there; think of what things you have been forgiven for. Now who owes you something? Who has hurt you? How important is it for you to forgive them? How can you make a plan to do that as soon as possible? To forgive them for what they owe you; to forgive them for how they’ve hurt you. This is never easy so take some time to pray about it. Take some time to consider how you can forgive somebody without hurting them more, without victimizing them. Sometimes you’ll need to ask for forgiveness, or need to give forgiveness secretly, if you know you’re going to to hurt them or victimize them in some way.

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