Day 158 "The fullness of forgiveness will never leave you empty, yet unforgiveness will never be satisfied nor fill you."

Day 158 Matthew 18:23-35 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all. Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” This passage is one of great peace as well as one of great warning for each of us. In my lifetime, I have witnessed many, including myself at times, who have acted just as this servant did: seeking with all fervency to be forgiven yet unwilling to do likewise for his fellow man. This is exactly how the world would have us act and, once again, completely contrary to how our Heavenly Father would have us respond. There was a story in the news a few years ago that was actually a very good example of this being played out: a certain politician, who in recent years had been campaigning for the presidency, is very emotional about family values and morality. He had been very judgmental toward the opposing party candidates, especially regarding these two subjects. In addition, his wife had been suffering from terminal cancer and short of a miraculous intervention from the Lord, her lifespan would be shortened. It was revealed that, during his campaign and his wife's and families struggle, he was having an affair. How often do we see this happening, where the person who is the harshest and quickest to judge on a particular issue is the last to admit that they, too, have fallen to that same temptation? Rather than having compassion on one who is caught in the same struggle as they, we instead attack them for their indiscretion. Could it be that we are attempting to divert attention from ourselves and possibly the anger that we often direct toward others is actually an extension of the anger we have toward ourselves in the midst of our failure? However, no matter what the reason, we have no right to throw stones. Jesus is telling us this story to remind us that just as we have been forgiven for our sins and transgressions, we, too, must forgive those who have likewise sinned or transgressed against us. Yes, we have obligations such as we have talked about the past few days; however, no matter the process of dealing with a brother or sister in their failures, the end result must be complete forgiveness. One thing to remember–if you cannot forgive someone else, then there is a great probability that you are not able to forgive yourself; therefore, you are not able to walk in complete redemption. Could it be that God in His infinite wisdom understands this to be true and because of His great desire for whole and complete fellowship with us continues to remind us of our need for wholeness through forgiveness of sin, both ours and that of others? Daily Prayer: Father, to forgive can be so hard at times, especially when our loved ones have been harmed by sin; however, Your Son was beaten and crucified for our sin, and yet You love us. Teach me, Lord, to love enough to forgive as You have in order that I may walk in the fullness of complete forgiveness. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "The fullness of forgiveness will never leave you empty, yet unforgiveness will never be satisfied nor fill you." Pastor Gene Burroughs