Text: Matthew 18:23-35
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Forgiveness is an habit every child of God should possess. Our numerous sins were forgiven by God, and it is expected of us to forgive as well who ever offends us, no matter how hurting it is. As a matter of fact, it should be done from the heart. Keeping grudges is not acceptable in the kingdom. Unforgiveness is not welcomed in the heart of Christians. We are to follow Christ example since we are His children.
God expect us to reciprocate what He does to us to others. Do unto others what God do to you. Unforgiveness is a disease that will destroys one from the inside. It hits at you until it consumes your peace and joy. Unforgiveness birth anger, bitterness, hatred, malice etc. These things are not to be found in the life of a child of God. In as much as God our father can forgive us all our trespasses, there is need for us to forgive our fellow brothers and sisters, regardless of what they have done to us.
Forgiveness is not just done with the lips, it should be done from the heart. When Forgiveness comes from the heart, if by chance you remember that offence again someday, you won’t feel hurt about what happened. But if it doesn’t come from the heart, whenever you remember the incidence, you feel hurt and bittered again towards the offender. Hence; it explains the popular saying “Forgive and Forget”. Never use people’s offense against them. We are not to be like the unmerciful servant who could not forgive his fellow servant.
In essence, be always merciful to others, because our God is merciful. Let all who calls him/ herself a Christian have the mind of Christ, be compassionate and forgive, so we also can be forgiven.
Prayer: Oh Lord, please help me to have a heart of forgiveness, so that I will also be forgiven.
