SCRIPTURE: Luke (NIV) 17:3 So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
OBSERVATION: Is Jesus saying that the person who does the offence should repent? Yes, but that is not the primary message in this passage. Jesus is not speaking to the one offending, but to the one offended. Notice, Jesus did not say “watch them,” but “…watch yourselves.” The emphasis is not on what the offender should do, but on what the offended should do. The offended is not to evaluate the sincerity of the apology. (How could someone be sincere if they have to repent seven times!) If the offender can return seven times, obviously the offended party did not cut off any contact. The Great Forgiver is telling me to forgive!
APPLICATION: We might think that it is too difficult to follow Jesus , but we must remember that He is with us to help us. He has forgiven us and He will help us forgive others. We should forgive others in the same way we want Jesus to forgive us.
PRAYER: Lord, if there is anyone in the universe who knows about forgiveness, it is You! You told us to request forgiveness from you in the same way we forgive others. Let my forgiveness of others show how much I need your forgiveness. Amen.
Pastor Leon
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