February 27, 2019
Luke 17:1-4 The Message
In our lesson today, Jesus is teaching the disciples about sin and their need to live as examples, as well as, their need to forgive others. We live in a fallen world and sin is a part of human nature. We tend to think about sin being an individual matter, but that is rarely the case. Think about Adam and Eve. Scripture teaches Eve was deceived and sinned, but Adam did not stay the course to obey God and sinned, as well. Bottom line, as believers we do not want to be the ones tempting or causing another child of God to sin.
Do you struggle forgiving fellow believers who repeatedly hurt you? We must forgive personal offenses; it is a part of Kingdom living. In fact, we may have to forgive the offending brother or sister multiple times. Therefore, forgiveness is granted by faith. Forgiveness is a holy act; when we forgive and move on we are the most like Christ. When we have truly forgiven someone, we ceased to discuss it with others or mentally entertain it further. Otherwise, we sin before God, too, because we say we have forgiven and our mouths prove otherwise. This makes us hypocrites.
Luke 17:1-4 A Kernel of Faith
17 1-2 He said to his disciples, “Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!
3-4 “Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for teaching me more about forgiveness from your Word, today. Holy Spirit, help me to truly forgive when others hurt me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.