"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)
Friday, January 26, 2024 - Day 26 (Through the Bible in a year readings for today: Exodus 11,12; Matthew 18:21-35)
NEVER ENDING FORGIVENESS
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?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
..... ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 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 are 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. In Your saving name, O Lord. Amen.
Pastor David Paape
Daily Bible Reading Chart covering the entire Bible in one year.
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