Then the master of the servant
was moved with compassion,
released him and forgave him the debt.
Matthew 18:26
Another beautiful summer
day, blue skies, golden sun painting the trees with bright yellow lights. I
love morning, especially those days I have the whole day before me, stretched
out with possibilities. Today is one of those days. I started my day with two
things, coffee and Bible reading.
Today, I read chapter 18 in the Gospel of Matthew.
There is so much in this chapter, I cannot hope to grasp everything. Before I
read I prayed, “God help me to understand what is written here. By your Holy
Spirit give me insight.” I must confess my own mind is a muddle of things to
do, errands to run, chores, memories, it goes on and on. The verse, “Be still
and know I am God,” is one of those verses that isn’t all that easy for me to
do. My mind is often my own worst enemy.
But
in spite of my limitations I keep reading the Bible knowing that I am washing
my mind and heart with truth. I am excited to begin my day because today I will
go to the ocean, but I know from experience if I don’t start my day with my
devotions things will not go well. It is not because of fear I want to pray and
read my Bible it is because of knowing without God, my life is chaos. He is the
anchor of my soul, my calm in the storms of life.
Yesterday,
I watched an old Billy Graham crusade on television. It was the 1992 crusade
held in Portland, Oregon. His message was simple, it was direct, it was about
the opportunity to come to Jesus Christ, ask Him to forgive you of your sins,
and be welcomed into the family of God. I watched as hundreds, perhaps
thousands of people went down front to ask Jesus into their hearts, to have a
new beginning, a new life. I liked the brief story that Billy told prior to the
invitation to accept Jesus as Savior.
A
man sat in prison after committing many crimes and serving a lengthy sentence.
He had betrayed his wife, his family, his community. He wrote a simple direct
letter to his wife and family, “Honey, I realize how I’ve betrayed you and the
family. My crimes were horrible, unforgiveable. If you never want to see me, I’ll
understand. I’m being released soon. I will be on a bus coming through our home
town. If the family can forgive me, and wants to see me, tie a yellow ribbon on
the big tree in the front yard. I will be able to see it from the bus. If you
just want me out of your life, and I see no yellow ribbon, I’ll stay on the bus
and go somewhere else. I’ll understand. What I did was unforgivable.”
The
man was released from prison and boarded the bus that would go through his home
town. A few stops down the road a bunch of college students got on the bus.
After a few miles they started a conversation with the man and he told them
about his journey. The students, eager to see what would happen watched around
each turn and bend of the road as they neared the man’s hometown. The man,
burdened with shame, remorse and guilt could barely look out the window.
As
the bus crested the road coming into town the students shouted, “Look!” Tied to
every streetpost, every tree were dozens of yellow ribbons.
The
man, eyes filled with tears, got off the bus and was reunited with his family.
He was going home.
Billy Graham used that illustration to
explain to people what it’s like to accept Jesus as your Savior. He doesn't lambaste you for your mistakes. He doesn't berate you for your failings, He welcomes you home as part of His family. He paid the debt for your sins on the
cross. You are free.
In my reading today, the part of the
chapter that most stood out to me was the story of the master, or boss who
forgave one of his employees a debt he owed, (which was substantial.)
Unfortunately that wasn't the end of the story. The man, forgiven, went out and
found someone who owed him a little money and caught him by the throat
demanding he pay up or else. The other employees of the boss saw what this
person did and told on him. The boss, enraged, pulled the guy back into his
office and told him, “Look I forgave you all that you owed and you go out and
threaten someone for a few dollars! What’s wrong with you? Now I am going to
hold you responsible until you pay!”
Jesus summarizes that story with this
statement; “If God has forgiven you so much, who are you to not forgive others
who hurt you? You must forgive others from your hearts.” (paraphrased).
For me, this hits home. Forgiveness is
a virtue that is not easily part of my vocabulary of life.
My
Prayer
“Dear Jesus,
Please help me learn to forgive
others. I know I've done many wrong things in my life that you've forgiven me
of. Jesus make me willing to release others, even if they aren't sorry. Thank
you for forgiving me, giving me freedom from guilt, peace, and a future hope.”
Amen
To those of you
reading this also struggling with an unforgiving attitude, take hope. God hears
and answers prayers. May your day be blessed.
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