05/20/2026
THE ‘F’ WORD…
FORGIVENESS
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
forgive: 1.to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve. 2. to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.). 3. to grant pardon to (a person). 4. to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies.
Why is it so difficult for us to say, "I forgive you"? We all desire forgiveness, yet we are often reluctant to offer it to others. If I fully grasp the message of Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15, it follows that if I am unwilling to forgive others, then I cannot expect to receive God's forgiveness for myself. Simon Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness, and Jesus responded with a meaningful answer and a parable illustrating its depth.
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” Matthew 18:21
It is ironic that Peter would eventually rely on Jesus' forgiveness after denying Him three times. It is likely that, later in life, Peter reflected on this moment and grew to truly value Jesus' response concerning forgiveness.
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:22
Whether Jesus meant (70 times plus 7, 77 times), or (70 x 7 times = 490 times) does not really matter, what does matter is that Jesus intends for humanity to have a forgiving heart like His, forgiving completely.
“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who 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. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master 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. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 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, just as I had mercy on you?’ 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 from your heart.” Matthew 18: 23-35
Do you have someone in your life who has asked you for forgiveness, and you choose to with hold it? A co-worker, a family member, a former friend, someone that may attend church with. You may feel that they do not deserve your forgiveness because of how bad they hurt you, but this is not what Jesus taught.
This brings up an especially important question; do we deserve God's love and forgiveness?
There is nothing that we can do to deserve God's love or forgiveness. God freely bestowed HIS love and forgiveness upon us, and God expects us to do the same for everyone. We often forget that Jesus Christ pronounced forgiveness upon us while He was laying down His life for humanity.
In Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing."
This forgiveness was not limited to those present at Jesus' crucifixion; it extends to all people. God granted Jesus' plea for forgiveness to both you and me. Through Jesus Christ, we have received God's forgiveness, and we should embrace this by extending forgiveness to others as well. Always keep in mind: if I am unwilling to forgive someone who has hurt me, Jesus taught that God's forgiveness will not be given to me. I forgive you—will you forgive me?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, forgive me of all my trespasses and give me the courage and strength to forgive those who have trespassed against me. Amen
The day is already blessed by God Almighty, step into those blessings and offer up that forgiveness that you have been withholding!
Love ya folks ❤️
Pastor Dan
