Freely Forgiven. Freely Forgiving.

READ - Matthew 18:21-35

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant 

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

DEVOTIONAL

The parable of the unforgiving servant reminds us again of the importance of forgiveness. Earlier in Matthew, we read the Lord’s prayer. The only portion of that prayer that Jesus repeated to His disciples was the segment on forgiveness. Forgiveness is important to Him. 

When you have been severely hurt, mistreated, or betrayed, forgiveness is not a natural thing. To forgive a grievous offense is a challenge for everyone. However, I believe there is no other time when our hearts resemble that of our Savior more than when we truly forgive and release the judgment of our offender into the hands of God. Forgiveness is one of the highest expressions of God’s love. 

Jesus told us that we are to love one another in the way He has loved us, which means we must be quick to forgive. When we consider what Christ did for us on the Cross of Calvery to forgive our sins, may we be quick to allow that same forgiveness to flow through us to others. God can help us forgive through the power and magnitude of His great love and forgiveness. 

Let’s do our best to follow the example of Jesus and live a life of grace and forgiveness. Let’s allow God’s love to fully abound in our hearts so that we can experience true freedom and abundant life. 

PRAYER

Jesus, thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for the way you modeled forgiveness as a path for me to follow. I pray that you would strengthen me with the power of your Spirit to forgive those who have hurt me. Holy Spirit, empower me with a supernatural ability to extend mercy and grace freely. In Jesus’ name, amen.