"I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)
Day 220 - (Today’s Bible readings: 2 Kings 9:14-29, Psalm 37:23-40; Matthew 19:1-15)
NEVER ENDING FORGIVENESS
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
..... 32 ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. (Matthew 18:21-35 ESV)
The parable of the unforgiving servant teaches us that God expects us to forgive one another just as He has forgiven us. Here a couple of key thoughts:
● How great is the debt of sin that you owe to God?
● How do your sins of thought, word and deed compare with whatever someone else has done to you?
● Isn’t it true that the parable accurately describes how we tend to minimize our sin and maximize the sins of others?
”So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
● Where do we find the power to forgive when someone “sins” against us?
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses ..., God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14 ESV)
● Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, paying for all of our sins, we can now forgive others.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your unending forgiveness granted to this penitent sinner. Help me to forgive others just as You have forgiven me, and so reflect Your love and mercy so that others can know You too. In Your saving name, O Lord. Amen.
Pastor David Paape
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psalms - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
Then scroll down to 2022 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!
Thank you so much for having this blog, I just found it, and looking over the last few days, I can see how applicable your blog posts have been for each day as I walk this Christian walk. Please keep them coming, they are a blessing, even if people aren't responding or commenting
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