Devotion:
Read Matthew 18:21-35.
Jesus teaches that we are to always forgive and offers a parable that reminds us why. The parable of the unmerciful servant illustrates this idea very clearly. Jesus tells the story of a servant with a tremendous debt who begs his master for patience. The master forgives the servant’s debt, but the servant turns around and demands repayment for a small debt owed to him. When the debtor couldn’t pay, the servant had that man thrown in jail. We don’t necessarily like the ending of the story: In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. (Matthew 18:34)
Jesus gives a further warning when he adds, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:35) Jesus is warning us that if we don’t forgive, we will be tortured by unforgiven sins, both ours and the sins of others against us. The unmerciful servant was turned over to the jailers to be tortured. Who are our “jailers?” I would say we are “bound” by the sins of others when we refuse to forgive them. We can say sins are the jailers holding us captive until we forgive.
Forgiveness can be very hard. C.S. Lewis wrote: “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive”. But when I fail to forgive, I am shackled to the evil which has been done to me. We each must ask, “Am I free or am I tied to resentments?
If we must be prepared to forgive seventy-seven times, then we must also be ready to ask for forgiveness – and believe we are forgiven – seventy-seven times.” Does your life demonstrate the back-and-forth flow of forgiveness or is it rare? As the people of Christ, we have pledged to learn and live the way of forgiveness.
Personal Worship Option:
Thank you, Lord, for forgiving me seventy-seven times and more. Give me the grace to forgive someone today.
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