Forgiveness may not come naturally to us, but it can come from our hearts when we reflect on God's great mercy on us. God is the king who forgave his servant (me) 10,000 bags of gold. This was a debt I would have to work every day of my life to earn less than even a small fraction of the total. Canceling a debt of this magnitude is amazing grace! What a relief! This gives us the awesome freedom to live and enjoy life in a relationship of love and gratitude with God, our King. Jesus came to reveal to us that, indeed, this debt of ours is paid in full.

God desires mercy, not sacrifice. Life is not meant to be an endless proving ground of our worthiness, but to live in appreciation of the life given to us. We must accept this grace and extend this mercy to our brothers and sisters. Forgiveness may seem counterintuitive at first, but as Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Forgiveness, when it comes from our heart, has the power to heal and give life. We should never cease to have mercy on our brothers and sisters.


Application: Lord, I once thought of you as a demanding king, but in Jesus I see your love and mercy has given me true freedom and life. May I live my life in gratitude and extend forgiveness and mercy to my brothers and sisters.
One Word: Forgive from your heart