Jesus told a parable about a poor servant who owed his master an unfathomable amount of money. Since he was up to his nose in debt, he had no possibility of repayment. So the man pleaded with the master, and the master forgave his debt. Shortly after this experience a fellow servant came who owed the first servant a small sum of money. Though he begged for time to repay, the first servant had no patience and had him thrown into prison. It sounds like an extreme circumstance, doesn’t it? How could one who had been forgiven so much forgive so little? And yet Jesus used this illustration to describe us when we fail to forgive others. If we have accepted forgiveness from our heavenly Father, He is canceling an enormous debt; the offenses that others hold against us are paltry in comparison. So when we refuse to forgive others, it can only be because we haven’t truly accepted the Father’s forgiveness of our sins. After all, forgiven people forgive. Is there someone who has offended you? Maybe it’s time to forgive him and to cancel his debt – not because he has earned the forgiveness but because you have been forgiven so much. Your brother or sister’s debt can’t be as large as your own. And when you forgive him, you will fully embrace the Father’s forgiveness of you. Forgiven people forgive.
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