A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers this week. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin for today. Today we continue a Lenten sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer.
Gospel Reading- Matthew 18:21-35 [ESV]
21 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?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 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. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 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.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 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. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Devotion: “P” is for Prayer-Forgive Our Trespasses
When we pray: “Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” God is telling us to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Our Gospel text today is a wonderful discussion of forgiveness, but I don’t believe verse 34 means you are doomed unless you forgive. This would make salvation dependent upon something we do [and not God’s grace]. I believe it means that those whom God has forgiven must show humility and forgive as God has forgiven. I don’t think we [I will include myself as first in line] show enough forgiveness in our lives. At the time of lent, maybe we can think of some nagging past event in our lives that could be made better by showing a little forgiveness. Can you think of something, even something trivial, that could be made right this week by a little more forgiveness?
We pray: “Lord, forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen”