“Your intimate encounters with the Lord and His children are missing where forgiveness is missing.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 13, 2023
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22, MSG
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Matthew 18:34-35, KJV
Peter must have thought he was being generous when he offered to forgive someone seven times since the conventional Jewish rabbi teaching of the day was to forgive a person up to three times. Yet, Jesus implies unlimited forgiveness with His answer of 490 times. Jesus goes on to illustrate His Father’s generous, unlimited forgiveness in the unmerciful servant’s parable. He tells a story of the consequences of not forgiving another…a prison of torment. He explains how a man who had been forgiven of much (a picture of our salvation in Jesus) refused to forgive another person a small amount (a picture of our opportunity to forgive another out of gratitude for our generous forgiveness from God). Because of the forgiven man’s unwillingness to forgive, he was cast into debtor prison to be tormented by the jailer. A heart that refuses to forgive is tormented by pride, anger, and indifference…instead of being set free by humility, love, and compassion. Forgiveness freely flows when a heart celebrates the experience of receiving the generous forgiveness of God. Sadly, the prison of unforgiveness is where some stay bound up.
A grateful, forgiven heart regularly celebrates forgiveness from faith in Jesus Christ. Contrite prayers of confession and repentance at home, church, and along the way of daily living serve as the Spirit’s reminder that you are set free and can stay free by forgiving others. Forgiving as you are forgiven…ongoing and generous…unleashed and unlimited by the grace of God. You partake in the sufferings of Christ when you take your hurts to the cross of Christ and ask Him for healing through His forgiveness, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, by God’s grace, you forgive those who have hurt you. Forgiveness sets you free to be who God made you to be. Instead of being held hostage by hurt, you are healed and healthy to love.
C.S. Lewis clearly explains Jesus’ teaching in the Lord’s prayer that if we do not forgive, God does not forgive us, “We believe that God forgives us our sins; but also that He will not do so unless we forgive other people their sins against us. There is no doubt about the second part of this statement. It is in the Lord’s Prayer; it was emphatically stated by our Lord. If you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven. No part of His teaching is clearer, and there are no exceptions to it. He doesn’t say that we are to forgive other people’s sins provided they are not too frightful or provided there are extenuating circumstances or anything of that sort. We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated. If we don’t, we shall be forgiven none of our own.” God forgives us as we forgive others in Jesus’ name.
You may ask, Do I have to forgive someone who is unrepentant? You don’t have to; you can make this and other unwise choices since you have free will. You may be deceived to think you are punishing another by withholding forgiveness when in reality, you are being tormented. Why stay bound up by pride, anger, and indifference when you can be healed and set free? Praying for your enemy allows you to see them with empathy, compassion, and love. Be generous with your forgiveness, and you will be free to be who God created you to be, His beloved child in whom His favor rests. Rest in the Lord, and others will be attracted to the Lord. Unforgiveness does not negate Jesus’ followers’ salvation, but it does impede their fellowship. Your intimate encounters with the Lord and His children are missing where forgiveness is missing. A relationship without intimate fellowship is transactional without ongoing transformation in Christlikeness. Forgive, and you are free to be who God made you to be, His beloved child in whom His favor rests.
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7, NKJV).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, grow my heart of forgiveness so I can model your love and grow in my intimacy with you and others through Christ’s love, and in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Application
Who must I forgive and trust the Lord to lovingly discipline and lead to repentance in His timing?
Related Reading
Jeremiah 31:34; Luke 6:37, 23:34; Isaiah 55:7; Colossians 3:13
Worship Resource
Kevin Levar: A Heart That Forgives
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