Where Do You Look For Direction?

Psalm 25:3-12

When traveling to some place that might be unfamiliar, people today often use a GPS system to find the way to their destination.  That usually helps, but every once in a while it will send you off in completely the wrong way.  You might end up at an abandoned lot or even in the middle of a pond.  I used to enjoy the old-fashioned folding paper maps that people used to keep in the glove compartments of their cars, but I preferred even more the directions that people would give, such as “turn right at such and such a gas station, go until you see the tall, old pine tree, and then turn left, half a mile till you come to the red barn …..”.   However road maps can become out of date, and familiar landmarks don’t always remain there.  Where can we depend on good, reliable directions for our life?  Our Scripture today from Psalm 25 answers that question for us.  Let’s take a look.

When we are traveling, naturally we want to know the correct way to get where we want to go.  A wrong turn can really ruin our plans, and sometimes a wrong turn can even lead us into a dangerous situation.  We are all traveling through life, and it’s important to know where we are going to end up, too.  Wrong turns can get us off on a path that can really mess up our life, and wrong directions can lead us to an eternally wrong destination.  That is why it is so important that the directions we follow are the truth.

As our Scripture opens, the psalmist acknowledges that we need to wait upon the Lord (vs. 3).  When we come to the Lord in prayer, we need to wait for His answer, as it might not come instantly.  Sometimes the Lord tarries long, but ultimately He will answer.  We don’t have to worry that we will come to shame because of our trust in Jesus.  Jesus will never put us shame.  There will be shame for the wicked, but no shame for those who follow the Lord.

The psalmist prayed that the Lord would show him His ways, and teach him His paths (vs. 4-5).  How do we receive God’s guidance?  We must first want His guidance.  Not everyone wants to be led by the Lord.  They would rather follow their own way.  When we desire God’s guidance, He will provide it.  God’s primary guidance comes from His Word.  When we are willing to seek God, learn from His Word, and obey His commands, then we will receive His specific guidance.

Following human guidance and directions can prove wrong.  A faulty GPS will lead us astray, and a faulty navigational system, especially in something like an airplane, can be fatal.  So also can following anyone else’s guidance without checking with the Lord.  How many people have ended up eternally lost because they trusted in false leaders, false religions, and false gods?!

As we saw, maps can become outdated and landmarks can change.  What about guidance from God?  Will He change?  Maybe He might get forgetful, like we all do.  As we read here, we do not need to worry that God will forget something (vs. 6).  When someone in the Bible, while speaking to the Lord, desires that God remember something, it is more that they are speaking to themselves.  We are the ones who need to remember His gracious promises and provisions, which have never failed.  God’s character does not change.  His actions at one time will always be consistent with His actions at another.  Past mercies show us that we can always hope for future blessings.

As we turn to the Lord in trust and faith, He will give us His divine direction throughout our life (vs. 8-12).  Following God’s instructions, which we find in His Word, the Bible, can lead us from sin. To receive the Lord’s guidance, we must repent of all known sin.  It requires humbling ourselves, instead of demanding our own way.  Exercise patience, and don’t rush ahead of the Lord.  Persist in prayer, and search the Scriptures.  He will teach us His ways.  Trust in His leadership, and be obedient.

Some of God’s paths for us are rough and rugged, like an old logging road.  Others are tedious and boring.  But all are filled with His love and faithfulness.  When we are at the end of our life, we will know that God’s path was the best one for us.  Our path may have obstacles, but God will lead us.  He will never lead us astray.

Answering For My Own Sins

Ezekiel 18:1-32

Our Old Testament reading this first week of October, from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer, brings us to the Book of Ezekiel.  Here the prophet confronts a proverb or saying that was popularly spoken during the days of the Babylonian exile.  Because this proverb was being spoken of as truth, yet was not, the Lord wanted His prophet to confront and correct the people.  Let’s look at this proverb and why it was not true, though some claimed it was.

The proverb was “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” (vs. 2).  The point of this proverb was that children suffer for their parent’s sins.  This proverb was being used as a lame excuse for their own sinful condition.  They were saying that God couldn’t hold them responsible for their sins and the condition of their lives right now, because their parents had sinned, not them, and thus brought these problems upon them.

However the Lord said that this was not the case.  They were taking a proverb which had a measure of truth in it, and distorted it into a falsehood.  It is true that sometimes children suffer inadvertently for what their parents did.  If a parent drinks or gambles all of the household money away, the children suffer.  If a mother drinks alcohol or uses drugs while pregnant, the child may suffer birth defects.  God said, though, that He will not punish a good child for something sinful that their parents did, nor will He punish a good parent for something sinful that the child did.  God plays no favorites.  He holds each individual accountable for their own sins.  Judgment is according to individual faith and conduct (vs. 4).  The prophet Ezekiel gave them God’s Word.  The people were suffering for their own sins, not the sins of their fathers.  God judges each person for his own actions, not for the actions of others.

Our Scripture goes on to explain how this proverb was not accurate.  If someone loves the Lord and follows His ways, obeying what God has said, he would be blessed by God (vs. 5-9).  However, if he has a son who is wicked, the Lord will hold that son in judgment for his own sins (vs. 10-13).  It doesn’t matter that his father was a believer and follower of the Lord.  The godly father is not responsible for the sins of the son, nor will the wicked son reap the blessings of having a godly father.  The righteousness of the father does not atone for the wickedness of the son.  However, if the wicked man in turn has a godly, believing child, that one will not be punished for the sins of his father, nor the father reap the blessings of having a godly son (vs. 14-18).  (This whole passage is not a promotion of salvation by works, but that if one has genuinely repented and asked Jesus as Savior, they will show that by their lifestyle.)

This proverb was a very popular belief in the later Old Testament days and by the Pharisees of the time of Jesus.  They liked to hold the parents of wicked adult children guilty, along with the children of wicked parents.  At the same time they felt in their own case, if they fell into sin and wickedness, yet if their parents were righteous, the righteousness of their parents would excuse their own sins.  Ezekiel brought them God’s Word, that this teaching was wrong.  We cannot claim the merits of someone else’s righteousness.  Each person is responsible for his own personal sin.  Each person will give account for themselves, irrespective of their father, whether righteous or unrighteous.

It does not matter whether your parents or grandparents were pastors, deacons, founding members of this or that church.  You will not merit salvation because your mother or father were godly Christian people. It won’t matter how many times your grandmother read her Bible, or if your son became a priest and missionary.  In the same way, it won’t count against you if your parents were the worst criminals of the last hundred years.  An ungodly son is not saved as a result of a godly father, nor an ungodly father saved as a result of a godly son.  Salvation is entirely an individual, personal matter.

When the people of Ezekiel’s day heard this they were not happy.  They claimed that God’s ways were not right.  They didn’t like it that He demands the same of all, irrespective of their status or position.  They wanted to gain a free ride on the spiritual coattails of their godly ancestors, with no accounting for their own wickedness.  They also wanted the right to cast out someone for the sins of their parents.

The prophet proclaimed to them that it was their own ways that were wrong (vs. 29).  He called upon the people to repent of their sins.  God takes no pleasure in condemning the wicked (vs. 32).  He does not want anyone to perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).  God desires that everyone should accept Jesus as their Savior and be saved (I Timothy 2:4).  Unfortunately not everyone does, and then their eternal fate is sealed.  Don’t let that be you!  Come to the Lord Jesus today and receive eternal life!

The Vineyard Workers

Matthew 20:1-16

“It’s not fair!”  How many times do we hear that lament?  Children make that complaint against their teachers and their parents.  Adults say that about their boss.  Whenever someone thinks that they are being picked on, that someone else is getting something good that they didn’t get, or that they are getting something bad that the others aren’t, they cry that it isn’t fair.  There’s no complaint if we see we’re being treated special, but at the very least we want what we perceive as equal treatment.  In our Gospel passage today, Jesus tells a parable of a group that complained of unfair treatment.  Let’s look at the lesson the Lord seeks to give.

The parable begins early in the morning.  A man who owned a presumably very large vineyard went out to hire some day laborers.  It was probably time to harvest the grapes, and he needed workers (vs. 1-2).  A typical day laborer in New Testament times would work from 6 am till 6 pm.  They would usually gather in the marketplace early in the morning in hopes of being hired for a day’s work.  A denarius was a typical and fair day’s wage at that time, so these workers were not being cheated by any means.

By the ancient Roman time system, the first hour of the day was 6 am., or generally sunrise.  The first group of workers that the landowner hired started work at 6 am.  By the third hour, or 9 am, he must have realized that he needed to hire some more workers, so he went back to the marketplace to hire more.  He told them that he would pay them what was right (vs. 3-4).  The landowner goes out again at the sixth hour (noon), again at the ninth hour (3 pm), and the eleventh hour (5 pm) to hire more workers.  Each time he tells these new workers that he will pay them “whatever is right” (vs. 5-7).

These last several groups of hired laborers probably did not expect to get a full day’s wage, as they knew they had only worked part of the day.  They would have been glad, though, that they were hired at all, and to receive any wage.  There were no unemployment benefits back then, nor any welfare system.  So imagine their surprise when the owner of the vineyard tells his steward to hand out the wages, starting with the 5 pm hires, and give them each a denarius! (vs. 8-9).

The hires who were hired at 6 am saw what was being handed out, and they felt that since they had worked all day, they thought that they would get more.  That would only be “fair” in their minds (vs. 10).  They were quite upset when they, too, only got a denarius, and complained to the landowner (vs. 11-12).  “That’s unfair!”  He told them, though, that a denarius was what they agreed on, that was the standard wage, and they were not being cheated in any way.  He was just being generous to the unfortunate ones who had not been able to find a full day’s work (vs. 13-15).

So what does this parable have to teach us Christians today?  This is obviously more than just a tale about a kind boss who wanted to treat the unfortunate ones in a generous manner, more than a tale of what’s fair or not fair.  Jesus is again speaking about the Kingdom of God.  There are people who get saved when they are young, as children or as teenagers.  They go to a Christian university and become a pastor or a missionary, or do some other work for God’s Kingdom, spending their whole life serving the Lord.  Some become Christians in early adulthood or middle adulthood, and then spend some years serving Him.  Then there are those who may  have had no interest or time for God, maybe lived a riotous life, and then as an elderly person, perhaps even at their deathbed, turn to Jesus and accept Him as their Savior.  So, when they are all in heaven, should the ones who spent 70 - 80 years serving Jesus get a “better place” in heaven?  Should the ones who spent 30 - 40 years get an average one, and then the ones who have a deathbed conversion just get a dingy corner?

God does not operate by our merit system.  Those who turn to Jesus in their twilight years, perhaps literally moments before they die, will have just as good a welcome into heaven as the one who spent 80+ years serving Him.  The thief on the cross who was saved in the last minutes of his life will enjoy the full blessings of heaven alongside those who were saved for decades.  Such is the grace of God.

We should not begrudge those who turn to God in the last moments of life, because in reality, no one deserves eternal life.  This is a lesson in grace - we do not obtain salvation from God by merit.  Instead of grumbling that “it’s not fair!”, we should be rejoicing that someone in their later years or at their deathbed, turns to Jesus.  Rejoice that their sinful soul was snatched from the brink of damnation, and is now redeemed and going to heaven!  Rejoice with the angels that a new name is written down in glory!

Living And Dying For Christ

Philippians 1:21-27

Several years ago I read something that was rather sad.  Some of you might remember Carl Sagan, a rather famous astronomer, and astrophysicist in the latter half of the 20th century, who was also an author and who made a very popular TV series that helped explain astronomy and outer space to the general population.  He died in 1996 in his early 60’s.  Though he had a brilliant mind, Carl Sagan had no belief in God.  After he died, some people asked his widow if, as he lay dying of pneumonia, he ever turned to God or believed in an afterlife.  She said that he didn’t, and that she would never see Carl again or be reunited.  He believed that this life was all that there was, and afterwards there was no afterlife, nothing.  How terrible to have no belief in the Savior or belief in an afterlife, and no hope of ever seeing one’s loved ones again.

This was not the case with the Apostle Paul.  When he wrote this letter to the church in Philippi, he was in prison for his faith in the Lord Jesus, and he did not know what his fate might be.  However, Paul knew that no matter what might happen, all was good.  If he lived, that was good, as his life was in the hands of Jesus, and if he were to die, that would be even better, as he would be with Jesus (vs. 21).

For Paul, life was summed up in Jesus Christ.  Jesus was his reason for living, and death would free him from earthly burdens, where he would spend eternity glorifying God.  Paul’s entire purpose in life was to boldly speak forth God’s message to others, and to become more like Him each day.  He disciplined himself, setting goals and priorities to glorify God.

If Paul lived longer, that would make it possible for him to preach Jesus and win more believers.  Paul’s only reason for remaining in this world was to bring souls to Jesus, which was the fruit of his labor, and to teach them to do the same.  Paul felt confident that this was what God had planned.

However, if Paul had his way, he would rather die and be with Jesus.  This was not some sort of suicidal death-wish by any means.  Paul was not suicidal or depressed.  He knew, unlike Carl Sagan, that there was a life beyond this one, one that was far more glorious and wonderful than anything anyone could imagine.  For Paul and all believers, death is a graduation to something better.  It is a promotion to be in the presence of Jesus, and have perfect fellowship with Him.

As Paul sat in prison, not knowing what the result of each day might bring, he didn’t know which outcome he wanted more (vs. 22).  Living was attractive because it has the possibility of preaching the Gospel to more people, and winning more souls for Jesus.  Dying, though, would be a gain for him, because then he would be with Jesus.  All of the trials and tribulations of life would be past, and he would have the glory of an eternity with God.

Paul knew, though, that his remaining alive, and especially if he were set free, would be more helpful for the Church (vs. 24-26).  There was still more work to be done, more people who needed to hear the Gospel.  So Paul yielded his personal desires in order to build up the Church.

The Apostle closed this passage with a reminder for us believers to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel (vs. 27).  We are to have integrity, honesty, and morals.  Believers all need to live their lives consistent with God’s Word.

In closing, I sadly think back to Carl Sagan, the astronomer, author, and TV personality who died with no hope of an afterlife, no hope of anything good.  For those who don’t believe in God, life on earth is all there is, and they will strive for this world’s values.  However, when they pass on into eternity, they will sadly find out that they were tragically wrong.  Christians know that there is an eternal life in one place or the other.  We should develop eternal values, and seek to tell others about Jesus.

Jesus Is Our True Source

Psalm 145:13-21

Who or what is the source of our physical or financial security?  That is a key question, as what we are trusting in to make it through life is important.  It is important to know whether that source is dependable.  Can we safely depend upon that source, or will it come crashing down?  In our psalm for this week we see who, or what the psalmist was trusting in for everything, whether his safety, his daily needs, or anything in his life.

As our Scripture passage from part of Psalm 145 opens, the psalmist declares that the Lord God upholds him when he falls or is bowed down (vs. 14).  Now if the psalmist were to trip and fall down, perhaps hurting himself, he knew that the Lord would bring him healing, and he could trust that He would watch over him so that such accidents did not happen often.  However, there are more ways to fall.  He could suffer from a business failure, a break-up in a relationship, any number of things that fall down around him in his life.  When these happen in our life, God doesn’t just leave us there to wallow in our misery.  Instead, the Lord upholds us and raises us up.

When the problems start to pile up, the load of them bears down heavily upon us.  It is a load that is heavy to carry, and we can seem bowed down under the weight of it.  When these problems are heavy, and the stress comes, we can often get depressed, and this can actually, physically affect our posture.  We are literally bowed down under the weight of our troubles.  That is a burden that we don’t need to bear, and the psalmist knew it.  Psalm 55:22 tells us to cast those burdens upon the Lord, and He will sustain us.  We can cast our cares upon Jesus, for He cares for us (I Peter 5:7).  As we see here, He will raise us up.  Jesus is the Great Burden-bearer.  He lifts us out of every problem.

The psalmist knew that there were other circumstances where we need to look to God as our source, and that is for our daily sustenance (vs. 15).  I don’t know about in your corner of the globe, but here the price of food has gone through the roof!  I don’t know too many people with an unlimited bank account, so this hits everyone hard.  Jobs are not giving salary raises, senior citizens are often on a fixed income, so when prices go up, what can people do?  Too many people are finding their cupboard is bare!  They can barely afford the essentials.  When people are in need, who do they look to?  Little children look to their parents.  Who do the parents look to?  Do they turn to their boss?  He isn’t giving any raises!  Sometimes those bosses even cut work hours, so their paychecks are even smaller!  Do they look to the government?  Politicians are cutting back on aid benefits, so there is no help there!  There is only One whom we can rely on, and that is the Lord.  We can look to Him, and He will provide for us!  He opens His hand and freely provides for His children (vs. 15-16).  The Lord is our Source.  He is our provider.  He gives us everything we need (Acts 17:25).  We can put our hope in Him because He loves us.

When we are bowed down with troubles and have fallen upon hard times, when we have daily needs, such as food, that need to be supplied, we need to turn to our Source.  Not the bank or our employer.  Not a friend, or even the government.  Remember, our true Source is the Lord Jesus.  We turn to Him in prayer, calling upon Him, for He is near to His children when they pray to Him (vs. 18).   When we come to God in prayer, it doesn’t matter what our background is, how small we are in comparison with others, or how low in station we are.  No one is given priority treatment.  Jesus is near to His children who call upon Him.

Our psalmist knew that He could trust and depend upon the Lord in his time of need, whatever that need might be, and we can too.  That is because all throughout Scripture the Lord has promised this.  We might think that anyone can make a promise, and we have all had people promise us things, but they did not keep that promise.  God has made us promises, and when He makes a promise they will be accomplished (Numbers 23:19).  He is trustworthy, dependable, and reliable.  We can count upon God to fulfill His promises.  He doesn’t just keep them some of the time, or only when He wants to.  He is faithful.  Look to Jesus, for He is our only true Source.  He is near to all those who call upon Him in time of need.

Angry At God

Jonah 3:10-4:11

Have you ever been angry at God?  Most of us, if we’re honest, will admit to having been at one time or another.  And also, if we’re honest and god-fearing, will admit that God is right, and His ways are always correct and unerring.  If we have something that is upsetting us about the ways of the Lord, it is us that are off-base, not Him.  One Old Testament character, one that most of us are familiar with, found himself quite angry at God, and was stubbornly refusing to bend his feelings.  Let’s take a look at our Scripture today.

Our angry Biblical character is none other than the prophet Jonah.  Most of us know the account of his ministry, how the Lord called him to journey to the city of Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, and bring His message to the people there.  The Assyrian Empire was the bitter enemy of the nation of Israel, and Jonah had a deep-seated hatred for the Assyrian people.  He had no intention of going to Nineveh to tell them about Yahweh, so after hearing God’s call, Jonah planned on getting as far away as he could.  He took a ship to the furthest destination he could find.  God wasn’t going to let Jonah get away that easily from His plan for him, so He sent a storm.  Jonah soon found himself overboard, and in the belly of a large fish!  (Jonah 1).   After spending three days there, Jonah reluctantly changed his mind, obeyed God, and went to preach where God sent him.

Despite his virulent hatred of the Ninevites, Jonah was a gifted preacher, and a great revival broke out in the city, with the whole city repenting and turning to the Lord (Jonah 3:4-9).  Because the people repented and turned to Him, God spared Nineveh, and did not bring judgment down upon the city.  On the basis of their repentance, God could deal with them in grace rather than in judgment.

This is where Jonah’s great anger developed.  He had preached that unless the people repented of their sins, God would destroy them, and because of his immense hatred of the Ninevites, Jonah wanted a front row seat to watch their destruction (vs. 5).  The thought of that happening must have filled him with glee.  However, when he saw that the people repented, and God did not destroy them, Jonah was furious.  The prophet was very open and honest with God.  He spoke right up, telling Him that this was what he had feared would happen, and why he had tried to flee to begin with.  Jonah knew that God was a merciful God, and that if someone repents, He spares them (vs. 1-2).

Rather than getting angry at Jonah for his terrible attitude, God tried to teach him an object lesson.  With the hot Middle East sun beating down upon Jonah as he sat there, God quickly made a vine grow, sprouting large leaves, which brought him shade (vs. 6).  Jonah was very thankful for that.  However, overnight God brought a worm to eat up the vine, causing the plant to die.  The next morning, with the hot sun beating down upon him, Jonah was angry that the plant had died (vs. 7-9).  The heat made him wish he was dead, and he complained to God about this.  God then proceeded to give the prophet a good scolding.  He told Jonah that if he could have pity on the death of the plant, something he had not created, why couldn’t He, the Creator and Lord of all, not have mercy on the city of Nineveh, especially when they repented? (vs 10-11).

Anger isn’t always sinful or wrong, as when Jesus was angry in the Temple.  However, Jonah’s anger here was not commendable, justifiable, or honorable.  It certainly didn’t glorify God.  Here we see that a man of God was indifferent to a whole group of people’s potential damnation!  Jonah was happy when God spared his life in the fish, but angry when the Ninevites got saved.  As in the case with the prophet, God uses both blessings and trials to challenge and change us for the better.  He prepared a storm, a fish, a plant, and a worm to confront Jonah’s heart problem, to try and reach him to make him more compassionate.

God will spare no extreme to get His message to the lost, even if the messenger is deliberately disobedient.  As we see, Jonah’s anger towards God was completely wrong and out of place.  His hatred for another nationality was a sin.  God didn’t love only Jonah’s people, the Jews.  God has love for everyone, and wants them to repent and get saved.  His forgiveness extends to all who repent and believe.  He is slow to anger and abounding in mercy (Psalm 103:8).

The Book of Jonah ends abruptly.  Jonah is silenced.  He can make no reply to God’s Words.  His only appropriate answer would be to confess that he is entirely wrong, and that God is entirely righteous.  Did he do that?  We don’t know, but hopefully he did.  Who is God calling you to love that you do not want to love? 

Forgive As We Have Been Forgiven

Matthew 18:21-35

Each of us have had people who have done us wrong to some degree or another.  And each of us have done some things to others that weren’t right, either.  In both cases forgiveness is needed.  We need those we have done wrong to forgive us, and we need to forgive those who have harmed us, as well.  Much as we crave others' forgiveness, it isn’t always easy to be the one who should do the forgiving.  However, that is one thing that the Lord will not let slide.  Today’s Scripture recounts the parable that the Lord Jesus told us about how important forgiving others is.  Let’s look into this, and learn the lesson the Lord wishes to teach us.

As our Scripture opens, Peter is talking with Jesus, and he asked the Savior how many times did he need to forgive someone who keeps on doing him wrong (vs. 21).  Thinking that he is being super-spiritual, Peter asks if seven times was enough.  The rabbis at this time thought that since God only forgave Israel’s enemies three times (Amos 1:3-13), it was unnecessary to forgive more than three times.  Peter thought that by forgiving seven times he was being very generous.  Jesus answers Peter with an astounding reply.  He said to forgive not just seven times, but seventy times seven (vs. 22).  There must be unlimited forgiveness (Luke 17:4).  We shouldn’t even keep track of how many times we forgive someone.  We should always forgive those who are truly repentant, no matter how many times they ask.

Jesus then tells His disciples and the crowds that always surrounded Him a parable that explains exactly the degree of forgiveness that God expects of us (vs. 23-34).  In the parable, we read of a king who had a servant who owed him 10,000 talents, an extraordinary amount of money. If the talents were gold, it would be approximately 4 billion dollars today.  If they were silver, it would be approximately 80 million, an incomprehensible amount of money.  This example of the servant owing such a huge amount of money represents the sinner who cannot hope to ever pay back the transgressions of sin that he owes God, no matter what he does.

This servant, with no hope of ever paying the king back, and with the prospect of him and his family being sold as slaves until the debt was paid, falls on his knees and begs forgiveness.  The king, a kind and gracious man, forgives him his whole debt.  However, the servant then goes out and finds a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii, about $300 today, a pittance compared to what the first man owed.  When that second servant didn’t have the cash to pay back his debt, the first servant had him immediately thrown into debtors' prison.  There was no forgiveness, no mercy.  The first servant did not show the compassion that he had been shown, and others immediately noticed, and told the king.  The king is furious, and severely reprimands that servant, reminding him of how much he had been forgiven.  He then delivers him up to pay all that was due.

This parable was told to illustrate just how important God believes our forgiveness of others is.  Just as the first servant could never possibly pay back the debt he owed, we can never pay back to God what we owe Him.  Because God has forgiven all of our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness from others.  We must never forget how much the Lord has forgiven us.  We need to show the same spirit of forgiveness towards others, who owe us much less than we owe the Lord.

Forgiveness is often more of an act of our will, than an act of our heart.  It means giving up the resentment we feel, and the right to get even with the other one, even though we were the one wronged.  The foundation of our forgiveness of others is God’s forgiveness of us.  When the first servant did not forgive, the king gave him to the tormentors.  Unforgiveness torments us, not the wrongdoer.   Forgiveness doesn’t negate the wrong done to us, but it lets go of the right to get even.

Unforgiveness often turns into bitterness, which can affect every part of our life.  It can affect our family, our job, and our health.  It also causes spiritual turmoil.  Thus, a lack of forgiveness should be offensive to believers.  It certainly offends God, who will chasten His unforgiving children.

God’s forgiveness, though freely given to repentant sinners, is nevertheless conditional.  He forgives us as we forgive others.  We need to remember the words of Jesus.  He said that if we forgive others for what they have done to us, God will forgive us.  However, if we don’t, then God won’t forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15).  We do not want to be like the first servant, who ended up being handed over to the tormentors.  We should always be keeping our spiritual accounts in order, and forgive others.  Forgive as God has forgiven us!