A Daily Devotion for Friday, July 19
- ontrakk
- Jul 19, 2024
- 1 min read
Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Jesus seems to be telling me here that it really doesn’t matter if the person who is wronging me continues to do so. I should be forgiving. I suppose that if someone continues to sin against me, over and over, I do have the option of leaving the situation or changing my own circumstances in a way that breaks off my connection with that other person. But sometimes that is very difficult or even impossible to do. Sometimes forgiveness is not a simple, easy thing. Right now I do not have that struggle. But it has happened, and could happen again.
Holy Lord, help me to see when forgiveness is not on my mend. May the Holy Spirit guide me to recognize when I am holding back forgiveness for some other feeling or action to have room. I am sorry for the times I have failed to be forgiving. Help me to see more clearly. Amen
Becky, transforming
Pic by Kay
Matthew 18:21-22. From the Message:
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “ Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven? Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
The act of forgiveness is often less about the person who hurt you and much more about you and your response to it. The act of forgives means you can move forward and not be stuck with feelings of anger, sadness, and hurt. The purpose of forgiveness is to allow you to begin to forget so that you don’t dwell on bad things. Peter thought he was being generous with his answer, but Jesus points out that one time, seven time…
Friday, July 19th, 2024
Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times
This is the fifth time we have used this scripture. It surely drives home the lesson of forgiveness. When I do or say something that harms another person , what happens? I don’t hurt just that individual – I hurt God. (This never occurred to me, until now). When my words or actions hurt them, I lose all reasons to ask them to forgive me. The power of forgiveness rests with that person(harmed) Peter is asking…
Matthew 18:21-22
This command of Jesus is among the tallest of His orders. It is hard to imagine even being in such a circumstance but His words are plain. This, I suppose, is part of the sanctification process and the journey to perfection to which all believers are called. Each day offers a new opportunity to advance along the path.
Prayer - Lord, I am not as readily forgiving as I should be, let alone repeatedly forgiving. I must depend on the Spirit living in me to strive toward these goals. Teach me to feel the full freedom that forgiveness brings when I am faced with this challenge. Amen
TAA