MARCH 6, 2013
Bumper
Cars
Read: Matthew
18:23-35
Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up
to
seven times? —Matthew
18:21
Life
is a lot like “bumper cars” at an amusement park. You get in your car,
knowing
that you will get hit . . . you just don’t know how hard. And when
you get hit,
you step on the gas pedal, chase the one who has hit you, and
hope to bump that
person harder than they have bumped you.
That
may be a fun strategy for bumper cars, but it’s a terrible strategy for
life.
When you get bumped in life, bumping back only escalates matters and
in the end
everyone suffers damage.
Jesus
had a better strategy: Forgive those who have “bumped” us. Like Peter,
we may
wonder how many times we have to forgive. When Peter asked Jesus,
“Up to seven
times?” Jesus answered “Up to seventy times seven” (Matt. 18:21-22).
In other
words, there are no limits to grace. We should always extend a spirit
of
forgiveness. Why? In the story of the forgiving master, Jesus explained that
we
forgive not because our offenders deserve it but because we’ve been forgiven.
He says, “I forgave you . . . because you begged me. Should you not also have
had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” (vv.32-33).
Since
we are among those who’ve been forgiven much, let’s stop the damage
and share
that blessing with others.
Lord, remind us of how deeply we have offended You
and how often You have extended the grace of
forgiveness to us. Teach us to forgive others and to trust
You to deal with those who sin against us.
Forgiveness is God’s grace in action through us.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
