My son made his, I don’t know, 5th
appearance on the step the other day. No, this is not a new television show. It
is where my kids go when they misbehave. As always, I want my kids to learn
from there mishaps so when they get up I have them apologize to whomever they’ve
wronged. They start with, “I am sorry for…, will you forgive me followed by a
hug.”
My son is at the age where I really want him to
think about his consequence so he can turn his behavior around. As he is on the
step he asks if it is time to get up. So he says, “Mom can you forgive me.” My
reply was, not to be unforgiving but so he would think a little deeper about
his apology, “How many times do I have to forgive you for the same thing?” His
reply, “Well, God said 70 times.”
Forgiveness can be a complex topic. There is also
something very uncomplicated about it.
One reason I have my children apologize, even if
sometimes it is out of habit, is someday they are going to have to repent to their
Heavenly Father.
Having a faith in Christ and a relationship with Christ, begins with repentance. Recognizing that you are a sinner and without Him
you are a dying soul and you are coming to Him because He alone can save you.
For all have sinned
and fall short of the Glory of God. Romans 3:23
I want my kids to know that they can come to me when
they have done wrong. I want them to know that no matter the offense, to
restore the hurt, there needs to be that I am sorry moment. I want my kids to
know that because I am forgiven they too will be forgiven.
The verse my son was referring to was from Matthew
18. The story is from a parable that Jesus was teaching His disciples. Peter had
asked Jesus in verse 21, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me
and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus replied in verse 22, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy
times seven.”
Often times, I catch myself saying to my kids (Have
you ever said this line?), “How many times do I have to tell you?” I get this
reply from the Holy Spirit, not an audible voice, but a very clear one, “How
many times have I had to tell you?”
It doesn’t mean that my kids go without
consequences, it means, I need to be merciful, it means I need to show them the
same grace that was given to me.
If Heaven could shout down at me, God would have
every right to say, “How many times have I told you and how many times do I
need to forgive you for the same thing?”
When my Father sees me, Praise the Lord, He sees me
through the cross, he sees me through Christ. He has time and time again showed
me His mercy. He has time and time again showed me His grace.
In the parable in Matthew, Jesus was teaching of the
Unforgiving Servant, the servant owed his lord more that he could ever repay.
But when he bowed down before his master and asked for patience to repay the
debt, his master showed him great mercy. He completely wiped his debt away.
The servant then went to a fellow servant and began
choking him and demanding his debt be repaid immediately and since he could not,
he had him thrown in jail. The master was not happy when he heard of this
behavior. He had just forgiven him for a debt he could never pay and he couldn’t
even forgive a fellow servant for a small debt.
We owe Christ a debt that we could never pay. There is
no amount of money and not enough good deeds for us to do to get our broken relationship
with Him restored.
We can only be saved, we can only be forgiven, through
the grace of Jesus Christ. We can only be redeemed through the blood shed on
the cross by the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
Christ chose to give us that grace. He chose to give
us the free gift of eternal life. To receive this gift we have to stand before
our Heavenly Father. We have to acknowledge that we are sinners. We have to
repent and ask forgiveness of our sins. We have to confess with our mouths that
Jesus is Lord and that only He can save us.
Accepting this gift will free us from the bonds us
our sin.
That’s awesome! I don’t know about you but that it
such sweet news to my lowly ears because I would never make it. I, like my son,
have needed forgiven at least seventy
times.
Christ’s amazing grace has set me free. My debt has
been paid. Because of Him, I am able to show that same love, that same mercy,
and extend his grace to my own children and to others.
Do you need forgiven today? Are you still waiting to
make that decision to follow Christ? Wait no longer. The same arms that were
stretched across the cross are waiting to receive you.
But he was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5
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Labels: Loving Father, Matthew 18:21-35, Redeemed through Christ, Romans 3:23 Forgiveness, Romans 5:8, Short of God's Glory
