The Cost of Forgiveness. Part [15] 01/18/2024 (Evening thought)

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee,

When the father forgave the prodigal son, he felt he was obligated to work to pay back the father but the father did not even reply to his son’s overtures, for forgiveness is never to be based on what one can or cannot pay back. In fact, the elder brother in that parable, suffered from the very same syndrome as the prodigal son, for they both believed that the father’s goodness to them was predicated on what they did or didn’t do.

Luke 15:19 And I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.

Salvation and forgiveness from God are full and free and they come with no strings attached, except the free service of love, through our freedom of choice. When in such a situation that may warrant forgiving someone, and we may experience difficulty in doing so, it would be well for us to contemplate the great debt God has forgiven us, and continues to forgive us, even to this day.

 Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!

The Cost of Forgiveness. Part [14] 01/17/2024 (Morning thought)

Matthew 18;28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that you owe.

Some Christians in our day, who are owed by others might not be so graphic, as to physically choke the borrower, as the servant did, but there are subtler ways in which the chokehold might be applied. Those forever cell phone calls, in the middle of the night, the forever E mails and text messages that are never returned, and in a few cases, the stalking of the borrower at church, at work, and at their home when they are having dinner, all point to a form of chokehold placed upon the necks of the ones who owe.

Some persons may have wondered why the servant went out and choked the man who owed only 100 pence, for he appears to be quite desperate, in his attempts to collect every last cent that he is owed. We believe we may have finally figured it out. It is quite possible he was trying to scrape up every last dime, so he could pay back the king who he owed formally.

If this is the case then it would mean that he did not believe that he was really forgiven. When God in His mercy forgives us, we are not to think that we must do some sort of penance to repay Him for His kind deeds to us. It seems as if the concept of penance has more curb appeal than accepting God’s free gift of forgiveness. Someway, somehow, persons may feel obligated to do something, in exchange for forgiveness, and if it were the case that salvation was a thing that money could buy, millions more would probably sign on.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!