DEVO 02.26.26

FORGIVE

““This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

- Let’s just take the end of those words by Jesus and “...forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

- Forgiveness is essential if we are going to grow in our Christian Faith and be trusted by God.

- You will never be able to move forward in freedom if you cannot release the burden of the past.

- Jesus gives the example of a man who owes a king millions of dollars but is unable to repay.

- The King ordered that “he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.”(v.25‬)

- But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.” (v26‬)

- He was forgiven of millions because He pleaded with the King.

- But this same man leaves the king and found a someone who owed him a few thousand and demanded instant payment.

- He had him arrested and thrown into prison until he could pay in full.

- When the king found out, He called in the man he had forgiven 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?’” (18‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ )

- Because the man was unwilling to forgive, the “king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.” (18‬:‭34‬)

- Here’s the question, Have you been forgiven of much?

- Has God shown you mercy?

- Then, go and forgive just as you’ve been forgiven!

- Show mercy just like you’ve been shown.

- There is no room in the kingdom of God for bitterness and unforgiveness.

- It would be sad if each of us remained imprisoned by bitterness because we failed to forgive the things that others have done to us.

- Live a life of freedom by forgiving and extending mercy!

- Forgive from the heart!

- Have a great Thursday!