DCLM Higher Everyday 7 August 2023 — Do Not Forget To Forgive
DCLM Higher Everyday 7 August 2023 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Do Not Forget To Forgive
Topic: Do Not Forget To Forgive
Text: Matthew 18: 21-27
22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Key Verse: “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven”(Matthew 18:21, 22).
Message
Forgiveness is the act of pardoning an offender. In the Bible, the Greek word translated “forgiveness” literally means “to let go,” as when a person does not demand debt repayment. In His parable of the unmerciful slave, Jesus equated forgiveness with cancelling a debt (Matthew 18:23-35).When Didier was 11 years old, he witnessed his mother, a street vendor in Colombia, shot 38 times. This drama led him down a path of alcohol, drugs, and crime as he struggled with what he had witnessed. Didier found out who his mother’s killer was, and intended to retaliate, but after a friend brought him to church, he got saved and changed his mind. Instead, he forgave his mother’s murderer. One day, he saw the man sitting on a street corner and approached him. Didier embraced him and told him that he had forgiven him.
Christian youth, avoid grudges and forgive offenders. Jesus, in our text, instructed Peter to forgive as often as 490 times a day. It takes a transformed heart to forgive. Forgiveness provides good health and peace of mind. Beloved, forgive!
Quote: Avoid grudges and forgive
Challenge: Forgiveness, an expression of love.
Prayer for today: Lord, help me to love and forgive others.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
