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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, June 13, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Bible Verse:Matthew 18:21-35 "Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Bible Parable of the Unforgiving Servant “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” " Message:
The Scripture today is (thankfully) straightforward. When Jesus says “seventy times seven” we have no problem understanding that this means “as often as he sins against you.” The long parable about the servant, who asked forgiveness for his debt but then refused to forgive another servant who owed a debt to him, falls on trained ears; for every Christian prays, “Forgive us our debts (or trespasses) as we forgive our debtors.”
The problem here is not understanding precisely what Jesus is saying. The problem is actually doing it.
Let me give witness. To forgive someone who has injured you is the most liberating thing in the world. It is worth every minute or every hour you might spend on your knees. It can be a titanic struggle! Every ounce of our earthly consciousness tells us hate, hurt, destroy. But again, I give personal witness that no matter how consumed with anger and hatred you are, forgiveness is possible.
Here is my method, and I’m sure that of some others. First I pray somewhere quiet and private and ask the Holy Spirit to be with me. Then, I say the words, even if I don’t mean them. “I forgive Jack for calling me a moron and making everyone in the room laugh at me, even though I was right.” (Actually, I have found that I might be even angrier when I was wrong!) Then I ask God to bless the person, that he or she might become rich, and famous, and admired by a host of friends, and have a life filled with every blessing possible, and know Christ and live in bliss for all eternity. That part is really hard!
Then I think of the person as God’s beautiful child, both now and as he or she was as an actual child, full of innocence and hope. Then I ask the Holy Spirit to reform my heart, to fill it with love and forgiveness. I think about the false value that made me angry in the first place, usually pride of some sort. I meditate on Scripture about vanity and selfishness.
Wash, rinse, repeat. This works for me, even if it takes weeks or months or years.
Meditation : “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” Prayer : May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us, wherever He may send us. May He guide us through the wilderness, protect us through the storm. May He bring us home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown us. May He bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors..........Amen |
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