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What if the secret to durable relationships isn’t better conflict tactics but a different ledger? We open with the daring claim of 1 Corinthians 13: agape love “does not take into account a wrong suffered.” From there, we trace how scorekeeping slowly hollows out marriages, friendships, teams, and churches—and why the gospel gives us a better way. Not a sentimental shortcut, but a sturdier practice: refusing to record offenses, choosing willful forgetfulness, and building a life where forgiveness becomes a rhythm rather than a rare exception.

We contrast storge, philia, and eros with agape’s distinctive grit—an others-first, chosen commitment that can face real hurt without curating a museum of grievances. Along the way, we explore Jesus’ “seventy times seven” as a way of life, not arithmetic. We step into the Bible’s accounting language, where God does not count our sins against us, wipes our record clean, and credits Christ’s righteousness to our account. That divine bookkeeping reframes our reflex to tally. If our debt has been erased and replaced with abundance, what are we doing clutching old invoices from yesterday’s wounds?

Through vivid stories and concrete examples, we show how love that refuses to keep score changes households and churches, cools simmering workplace resentment, and frees us from reliving the same injury on repeat. Forgiving doesn’t mean denial or naivete; it means naming the wrong, setting wise boundaries when needed, and still laying down the ledger. Draw near to the cross, keep a large eraser handy, and discover how peace, joy, and freedom grow when you stop carrying a calculator. If this conversation helped you breathe a little easier, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs the reminder, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback