Forgiveness Passed On
When I remember who I was and the things I’ve done in my past, I can’t throw stones at anyone else for anything. I’ve not sinned and done things that warrant civil punishment like jail time, but nonetheless, I’ve done some very stupid things. I’m so thankful that the Lord is not as concerned about my past as He is concerned with my future.
As I read the story Jesus told when Peter, (one of His followers) asked about forgiveness. Check this out….
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”(Matthew 18:23-35 NLT)
Forgiveness from God to me should be passed on to everyone I know and everyone who has wronged me. My forgiveness from God is contingent upon my forgiveness of others.
Forgiveness is me giving up my right to strike back to those who’ve hurt me. Forgiveness toward others is NOT OPTIONAL for me as a Christ-follower.
Pressing On!
Dwayne