How could we ever be anything but grateful and graceful. Jesus needed to make clear what forgiveness is about. Peter took the “religious position” Should I forgive someone 7 times? Jesus put it succinctly and bluntly. If you want to make it fair, here it is–God has forgiven you for an enormous debt of rebellion and sin—You best be willing to forgive others for their minor wrongs to you. They may not seem minor, but compared to the great volume of grace we have received they always are.
In addition, when we are unwilling to forgive, we become trapped in our own cage of bitterness. When we forgive we not only free the debtor, but we also free ourselves. It is not a license to sin or betray each other, it is a call to be like God in our dealing with others. We are his ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20) and when we represent him, we need to model his attributes. Grace is clearly one.
Father, thanks for your grace. Help me to show grace to others as you have shown it to me.
God Bless You
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone[i] who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven![j]
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.[k] 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars.[l] He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters[m] from your heart.”
Walking With God 