CONTACT ME TODAY!
813-299-9219
WISDOM FOR TODAY
True Forgiveness
TRUE FORGIVENESS
Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “…up to seventy times seven.” —Matthew 18:21-22
I have a suspicion that Peter was hoping to impress the Lord with this question. In his own mind, seven times probably seemed like quite a stretch. So when Jesus corrected him, saying “seventy times seven,” Peter probably thought, “Yikes!”
Forgiveness is a prerequisite if we want our own sins to be forgiven. Jesus emphasized that truth in His teaching on the Lord’s Prayer. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). A few verses later, He added, “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father Father forgive your trespasses” (6:15).
** Forgiveness is not a matter of mathematics. It is a matter of spirit.
When God forgives, He forgets. He never brings it up again. We would do well to imitate Him. He has forgiven us such a great debt, yet it is amazing what little things will rankle us and cause us to be angry and resentful toward others. Too often, our attitude is, “I will forgive—but I won’t forget.” Jesus would answer, “That is not forgiveness.”
For the believer, forgiveness isn’t an option—it is a requirement. But God will enable you to do whatever He requires. If you lack the strength to forgive, all you have to do is ask the Holy Spirit to work that forgiveness through you. What a glorious thing it is when God’s love flows through us to heal another.
Lord, search us and know our hearts. If we need to forgive, help us to do so by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
YBIC, Dan Shock CBMC of Tampa Bay
Engage in Kingdom Work: Advance.CBMC.Com<advance.cbmc.com/> -Free tools for sharing and growing your faith
Perspective on Kingdom Work: “Thinking Lost” bit.ly/1iUQg7x -best teaching I’ve heard on the Great Commission 
Dan Shock CBMC of Tampa Bay
Engage in Kingdom Work: Advance.CBMC.Com
Perspective on Kingdom Work: “Thinking Lost” http://bit.ly/1iUQg7x -best teaching I’ve heard on the Great Commission
Search For More Articles
RECIENT ARTICLES
The Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not…
Read MoreThe Battle of the Flesh
The Battle of the Flesh The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, and the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; the utterance of him who hears the words of God, and has the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open:…
Read MoreStand Between the Dead and the Living
Stand Between the Dead and the Living Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague…
Read More
