The Cost of Forgiveness. Part [17] 01/19/2024 (Evening thought)

Luke 15:26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

Our Savior taught His disciples to pray: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” A great blessing is here asked upon conditions. We ourselves state these conditions. We ask that the mercy of God toward us may be measured by the mercy which we extend to others. Christ declares that this is the rule by which the Lord will deal with us. “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Wonderful terms! but how little are they understood or heeded. One of the most common sins, and one that is attended with most pernicious results, is the indulgence of an unforgiving spirit. How many will cherish animosity or revenge and then bow before God and ask to be forgiven as they forgive. Surely they can have no true sense of the import of this prayer or they would not dare to take it upon their lips.

In other words, by beholding what Jesus has done, and continues to do for the you and me, forgiveness can, and will become our default setting. Let us therefore consider what we do, what we say, and how we react to debtors and let us by the grace of God establish in our persons a storehouse of that grace and mercy, as God once instituted. Thus, we’ll end with two passages of scripture that should help us to turn a new page in understanding, and in the administration of the cost of forgiveness.

Ephesians 4: 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

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

The Cost of Forgiveness. Part [16] 01/18/2024 (Morning thought)

Psalms 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 10 He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor has He rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Like The Lord whom we serve, forgiving others is not to be a one-time event, or something that is left up to feeling. Like God, we should have a constant, and readily available supply of sheep, goats and bullocks for whenever and whoever may need forgiveness at any given time, place, or situation.

In other words, forgiveness is an attitude that ought to be carefully cultivated, to the point where we are expecting to forgive someone every day. The reason why God set up a forgiveness account in Christ, and throughout the entire sanctuary system, is because He expects to forgive persons, on an ongoing basis.

And even though we are never to abuse His grace, nor take it for granted, yet the fact is that we will all need forgiveness on an ongoing basis and therefore, if God expects to forgive us repeatedly, we who are His disciples should cultivate that same perspective. In this way forgiveness would not be something that we will have to think long and hard about. It will be something that is the natural outflowing of love and mercy that was first ministered unto us through the person of Christ.

Psalms 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 13 Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear him.

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