Forgiven much?

Today I read the parable of the king and the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18. As I took my jog I thought hard about forgiveness and unforgiveness. Somehow although I have read this many times before, this time I saw it with more clarity. Maybe this is because I have been thinking about forgiveness a lot lately: what true forgiveness looks like, how to know you've truly forgiven someone, when do we need to ask for forgiveness, why forgiveness is so critical to our christian growth.

While reading the parable I pictured the king calling each of his servants to recover what they owed him. When he got to one servant who owed him a lifetime worth of money, the king realized the servant could not pay. As a result he ordered the servant's family and all that he owned to be sold in order to settle the debt.

At this point, I'm thinking that while the king probably doesn't need the money, it is his absolute right (and even fair) that he receive back what had been taken or borrowed from him. He was the sovereign owner of the money to begin with.

Back to the scene before us...The servant must have been overwhelmed at the thought of losing all he had, seeing his family sold away from him, and never having a chance to recover. The servant fell down before the king begging him to be patient until he could find a way to pay. The king in a move of great grace, shows compassion on the servant and instead of giving him TIME to repay, he releases the servant from his huge debt. Complete forgiveness, no strings attached.
Wow.

Had the story ended there it would be a pretty fantastic end. Instead it continues with an amazing twist. Here is where my mind stayed turning over and over the events that unfolded next.

The forgiven servant, who has received grace he did not deserve, turns around and goes in search of another servant. Did he go to share the joy of his forgiveness? Unfortunately we will find that is not the case. The forgiven servant finds a fellow servant who owed him a small debt. Upon finding him, he takes him by the throat and threatens him to pay what he owes! His fellow servant falls down at his feet and begs him for patience, he promises to pay all.

Again I pause and think to myself...Certainly here the forgiven servant will share a little bit of the great grace he just received. I mean, he has no debt to pay anymore so he must be willing to share that experience with a fellow debtor.

As it turns out, the forgiven servant tightly grips the grace he has receives, tucks it away, and pronounces judgement on his fellow servant- to debtors prison for you! Not until he received the pittance owed him would he release his fellow servant.

Really? REALLY? How did he so quickly forget the huge debt forgiven him? Why did it not free him to extend that grace to another?

Well, as things played out, news must have traveled fast. The other servants observed the unforgiving behavior of the servant who had been forgiven much and they felt very grieved. In their grief they shared the encounter with the king. The king in turn called in the forgiven servant and said, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?" (v.32-33)

As a result of this encounter, the offending servant went from debt free and forgiven to being given to the torturers until he could repay his original debt. Can you imagine? From debt to freedom to debt again... was it worth it?

Was it worth it? Is it worth it to not forgive? It seems to me that I can't afford NOT to forgive. I can't afford it because I have been forgiven a debt I cannot repay... a holy God has required perfection and I am a wretched sinner, unable to reach His standard. I am deserving of death. Romans 6:23 confirms this, "But the wages of sin is death..." All of my sin is a lifetime of debt just like the original servant. The king, God, has the right to expect full payment of my debt. Fortunately Romans 6:23 doesn't stop with the wages of sin, it finishes, "BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

He has extended amazingly great grace to me by sending His Son to die on the cross for my debt, my sin. How can I, an undeserving servant who has been forgiven much and received such great grace not extend a little grace to another? What they owe me is so little compared to the immense debt I owe to my Lord and Savior. Not only that but my debt was so graciously paid for by Christ's blood. I do not deserve it, I cannot repay it.

To withhold forgiveness is to tightly grip the grace I've received, tuck it away, and pronounce judgement on others. To withhold forgiveness is to place the debt I perceive another person owes me as greater than the overwhelming debt I have been forgiven.

Bottom line, no one could ever "owe" me what I owe my Lord... what another owes me in comparison to what I owe my Lord is like comparing a cheap blow up dingy to the Queen Mary.

Bottom line: Forgiveness is not an option, it is an absolute requirement. One I cannot afford to withhold because I owe so much.

Yahweh Tsuri ~ The Lord My Rock Pt 2

There may be times when we are falsely accused or slandered, unfairly mistreated or rejected. During those times, we may be tempted to defend ourselves by fighting back, slandering in return, or retaliating in some other form.

If you have confessed with your mouth and believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again to save you from your sins then you have a powerful defense... you can forgive them and freely turn it all over to God.

Should you find yourself in a situation like the ones I described above, let me encourage you to consider that God is your rock - He is your deliverer, He is your defender. Take refuge in Him, He is your salvation. Trust Him with those people, with that situation, with your hurt.

Echo David's prayer in II Samuel 22:2-4:

"He (David) said,
'The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
My savior, You save me from violence.
4"I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.' "

No Cross, No Crown

Tonight at our Good Friday service, the choir sang several songs. One of those songs really struck me - "No Cross, No Crown" (lyrics below).

Such amazing grace and love... how can it be? Christ the Lord, He died for me. He died for you. Praise be to God!

"From robes to rags, bettered and torn,
From heaven's praise to earth's dark scorn.
Alone He stands, clothed in my shame,
He knew the price, He took the blame.

No corss, no crown, no debt repaid,
No thorns, no throne, no sentence stiad.
No death, no life, no grace come down.
His loss, our gain, no cross, no crown.

His Father's will, a higher call,
He gives His life to save us all.
Yet death has failed the Crucified,
The Lamb still lives, the tomb denied.

His cross, our srown, all debts are paid,
Before the throne, all riches laid.
His love endures, His grace comes down,
His loss our gain, His cross our crown."

(I do not know the composer - if you do, please send me a note- thanks)