Mathew 18:21, 22 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forget him? Up to seven times?” (22) Jesus said to him, ” I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

What an awesome thing it is to be forgiven! Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and has showered us with His forgiveness. With this outpouring of His grace comes the responsibility to pass on forgiveness. Of course, this means that we will have to endure situations that require forgiveness. Like Peter we all struggle with the issue of how many times we are to endure a persons offenses. Peter thought that 70 times would be quite a generous outpouring of forgiveness but Jesus said that 70 wasn’t enough. He raised the bar to His standards when He said 490 times. What Jesus was saying is that we are to pour out forgiveness on others just like He poured out forgiveness on us. For us forgiveness was not just a one time event at the point of salvation. Christ has continued to forgive us every time we fail the standard of His perfection and ask for forgiveness. Every person deserves that same measure of God’s grace and forgiveness. May we allow Jesus to pour out His forgiveness through us on others is my prayer.

Keeping it Real!

Pastor Crowson