Friday, April 28, 2023
One of the Hardest Things to Do
Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32 NLT)
One day when Jesus was talking about forgiveness, Peter thought he would impress Him. So, he asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” (Matthew 18:21 NLT).
Maybe Peter expected Jesus to say, “Peter, that is pretty good. Let’s give Peter a round of applause.”
Instead, Jesus told him, “No, not seven times . . . but seventy times seven!” (verse 22 NLT). In other words Jesus was saying, “You should forgive endlessly. There should be no limits to your forgiveness.”
Then Jesus went on to tell a story about a servant who owed millions of dollars to a king. The king gave the order for the servant, his wife, their children, and their possessions to be sold for compensation. But the servant pleaded with the king for another chance to repay the debt. The king, touched by the servant’s attitude, decided to completely forgive what he owed.
But it wasn’t long before the man found a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars, and he demanded that he pay it back immediately. And when the servant asked for more time to repay his debt, the man had him arrested and thrown into prison.
Someone saw what happened and told the king about it. The king called for the man and said, “You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” (verses 32–33 NLT). Then the king sent him to prison.
If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then He has forgiven your sins. The Bible tells us, “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32 NLT).
We must forgive because we have been forgiven. And God will bless us for obeying Him.
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