Jesus on Forgiveness
32 “Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers until he could pay everything that was owed. 35 So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart.” Matthew 18:32-35
I wonder how often we remember the importance that Jesus placed on forgiveness? He obviously has forgiven those that have accepted Him as Savior and Lord of their lives – and His forgiveness encompasses much more fault than we will ever experience at the hand of all other people against us, combined! Yet, we harbor resentment, irritation, anger, hurt, negative attitudes against our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as those that do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives!
Those that are not saved are in bondage to sin – they cannot be expected to be able to behave otherwise! However, our Christian Family members are a different story. They ARE expected to behave like Christ! Yet, WE don’t always, do we? So why are we so hard on them? And whatever happened to the forgiveness that Jesus mandated here? How about the consequences that the Father imposes on us for NOT forgiving others?
People, we need to wake up! We need to start implementing the Fruit of the Spirit of Christ in our lives! We need to start acting like Jesus for a change! We MUST start forgiving one another! Start today!
