Daily Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21 KJV
Matthew 18:21 KJV
(21) Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Today’s Devotional Is FORGIVENESS
The four-time limit for forgiveness was taught by the religious teachers of Christ’s time. Peter went beyond this estimate, but he still fell far short of the Divine ideal. Seven was the number of perfection for the Jews. Therefore, no expression could convey more the feeling of eternal repetition, ever-renewing, and unending, than “seventy times seven!” This is a place of comfort for all of us! If God expects us to forgive our brothers, then how can we not count on His forgiveness?
This parable demonstrates the terrible wrong we do to our brother and ourselves when we don’t forgive. This was the story of a man who was forgiven a huge debt of two million sterling. However, he was not softened or chastened by it’s remission. He went straight from Master’s presence and laid hands on a fellow-servant who owed him less that a five-pound note. He doesn’t understand the reasons he had given, and is unaware that this debt must be paid immediately.
Is it not common for us to misuse the loving forgiveness of God and be censorious and vindictive? Consider how much you have been forgave! Consider how much you owe God and how freely He has forgiven. Only those who are forgiving can be forgiven. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses then neither will your Father. We may never be forgiven if we are stubborn, slow to recognize merit, quick in noticing faults, and hold on to ill-will or resentment for any injuries that were suffered, possibly years ago.
How can we achieve the mind that forgives often and can win over the most obtuse? This parable teaches that God must forgive us in a right mind, that we must be aware of our mistakes and that we must always be open to forgiving others.
PRAYER for Today
O Lord, may We Hear Thee Say to Us: All of Thy Sins are Forgiven. Go in Peace. May we also forgive as we have been forgiven. And may the sun never set on our wrath. AMEN.