BIBLE READING: Matthew 18:23-35
We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Listing all the people we have harmed will probably trigger a natural defensiveness. With each name we write down, another mental list may begin to form—a list of the wrongs that have been done to us. How can we deal with the resentment we hold toward others so we can move toward making amends?
Jesus told this story: “A king . . . decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars” (Matthew 18:23-24). The man begged for forgiveness because he couldn’t pay. The king “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” (18:27-28). This was reported to the king. “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. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant . . . ?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters” (18:32-35).
When we look at all that God has forgiven us, it makes sense to choose to forgive others. This also frees us from the torture of festering resentment. We can’t change what others have done to us, but we can write off their debts and become willing to make amends.”
Excerpt From: Tyndale House Publishers. “The Life Recovery Bible NLT.
We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Listing all the people we have harmed will probably trigger a natural defensiveness. With each name we write down, another mental list may begin to form—a list of the wrongs that have been done to us. How can we deal with the resentment we hold toward others so we can move toward making amends?
Jesus told this story: “A king . . . decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars” (Matthew 18:23-24). The man begged for forgiveness because he couldn’t pay. The king “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” (18:27-28). This was reported to the king. “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. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant . . . ?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters” (18:32-35).
When we look at all that God has forgiven us, it makes sense to choose to forgive others. This also frees us from the torture of festering resentment. We can’t change what others have done to us, but we can write off their debts and become willing to make amends.”
Excerpt From: Tyndale House Publishers. “The Life Recovery Bible NLT.
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