Welcome to Paul Tripp's Wednesday's Word podcast. I'm Dalton from the Paul Trip

ministry's team, and each week I'll read aloud Paul's popular Wednesday's word devotional,

short, powerful reflections that connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.

You can get each week's devotional straight to your inbox

by subscribing at paultrip.com slash Wednesday or find it any time on our website, the Paul Tripp app,

or on Facebook and Instagram. This week, Paul shows us that healthy relationships grow as we first

entrust our hurts to God and then pursue grace-filled reconciliation with others.

Here's this week's Wednesday's Word.

For the month of January, we'll spend four weeks in Wednesday's Word,

committing to canceling

debts and offering forgiveness. If you want to experience your healthiest relationships ever in this

new year, whether it's your marriage with your children, parents, extended family, or relationships

in the body of Christ, healthy relationships are healthy because people in those relationships

find joy in canceling debts.

Quote, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,

along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another as God

and Christ forgave you. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Ephesians 4.31 through 5.2.

To begin, let's first understand what forgiveness is.

Here's a simple definition.

Forgiveness is a vertical commitment that is followed by a horizontal transaction.

Both aspects of forgiveness are essential, but in the order that I've presented them.

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