“Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt… Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant…?” (Matthew 18:32,33).
TEXT — Matthew 18:23-35
Message
Forgiveness is a gift of God that every redeemed soul has the capacity to generate and give others freely. Materials for its production are always available and can be obtained freely, courtesy of the grace of God. Forgiveness is a gift that must be produced and used by all because, as someone said, “He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be forgiven”.
The parable Jesus gave here focuses on forgiveness. When it was properly used, it brought joy and relief. When it was denied and left unused, it brought pain and anguish. A servant owed his master ten thousand talents and he could not pay. After pleading for forgiveness, the master forgave him of the debt and set him free. Shortly after, the forgiven servant accosted a fellow servant owing him a hundred pence. He also could not pay and he appealed to the creditor servant to give him more time to pay. However, the man refused and sent him to be locked up till he would pay. Report of the unforgiving actions of the servant got to the master and he promptly withdrew the gift of forgiveness he had earlier given to the unforgiving servant.
Forgiveness is rooted in the unconditional love of God that was demonstrated on the cross at Calvary. Jesus died for sinful men and by this God offers us true forgiveness. We are the servants that owed much and at the same time received so much. We are the same people that fellow “servants” offend. Will we forgive them as we have been forgiven?
Failure to forgive others will attract unsavoury outcome to us. True forgiveness is a free gift from God that we must give to all who offend us today.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
Forgiveness is reciprocal, we must forgive all offences
Forgiveness is reciprocal, we must forgive all offences