Shown mercy, show mercy
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. “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. Matthew 18:26-30
Do you find it difficult to show mercy to those that you feel wronged you? When we let the root of bitterness grow it will never produce a good harvest. Do not expect that when we plant with a bad seed in a bad soil that it would produce anything other than bad harvest. God provides a solution to this difficult problem. From the text, we were given an example of dispensing forgiveness. The King in the story Jesus told showed mercy by forgiving the great amount of money owed by the servant. Forgiveness is costly. If it were not for God’s mercy shown at the cross, we all would have faced His terrible judgment long ago. If not for His mercy, He would have condemned us after our first offense. If not for His mercy, He would punish us each time we sin. But rather than letting us bear the full punishment for our sin, God demonstrated His mercy when He paid the penalty for our sin Himself. When you forgive, it will cost you something with exorbitant amount. For us to be forgiven, it costs the very life of Christ. “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18-19). With this in mind, for you not to forgive someone that offended you is to take for granted what God had shown you. “Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me” (v. 32). Do not forget that the debt you owed God for your sins is impossible to pay. This is why Christ took it to Himself to pay it for you for His death alone will satisfy. To Him alone we are eternally grateful! Show your gratefulness by forgiving those that offend you. Ask God to provide you the grace to show to those who wronged you the forgiveness that Christ gave you when you didn’t deserve it. You will be surprised at how much better you feel and how quickly you forget once you learn how to forgive.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com