Topic: Colossians 3:13 [John Hagee Devotional 27 April 2020]
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…even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do
Unforgiveness and bitterness harbored in our hearts can bring us to an impasse in our faith. They are toxic to our souls. Consider the true story of Adolph Coors IV.
On February 9, 1960, Adolph Coors III, heir to the Coors Brewing Company fortune, was kidnapped and held for ransom. His wife and four children hoped for his safe return, but seven months later, his body was found on a remote mountainside, shot in the back. Joseph Corbett, Jr., an escaped fugitive, was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison.
At the age of 15, Adolph Coors IV lost his father and best friend. He spent years hating Corbett. In 1975, he gave his heart to Jesus and divested himself of his interest in the family business, but he could not divest himself of the hatred.
Resentment and rage seethed within him and blighted his growth in faith, affecting every area of his life. His bitterness alienated him from God, and he began to seek His help to forgive Corbett.
His pastor later related: “Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Adolph Coors IV visited the maximum-security unit of Colorado’s Cañon City Penitentiary and tried to talk to Mr. Corbett, the man who murdered his father.”
Corbett refused to meet him, so Coors left a Bible with the following inscription: “I’m here to see you today and I’m sorry that we could not meet. As a Christian, I am summoned by the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to forgive you. I do forgive you, and I ask you to forgive me for the hatred that I have held in my heart for you.” In the same way that Christ forgave him, Adolph Coors forgave the man that murdered his father.
Blessing:
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. May you be liberated from any burden of bitterness. May the power of forgiveness flood you with the riches of His grace and love.
Today’s Bible Reading:
Old Testament
Judges 7:1-8:16
New Testament
Luke 23:11-43
Psalms & Proverbs
Psalm 97:1-98:9
Proverbs 14:7-8