God’s problem-solving

John Ellington
First Baptist Church, Norton

Matthew 18:21 “How many times should I forgive my brother…?”

Life is filled with new beginnings. Have you ever considered how many? There are more than you may realize. Let’s list some: a new calendar year, a new day, a new month, a new fiscal year and a new school year. Can you think of more? This is only the beginning of your new beginnings and they occur more frequently than you ever realized, right?
New beginnings are not just the prerogative of the world; it’s the basis of God’s testimony of love and care in the Bible and in the love-gift of His Son, Jesus. God intends for each one to have a new beginning. No, I’m wrong. He intends for us to have many new beginnings!
God’s new beginning is called forgiveness; it’s offered freely and on an as-needed basis. So when you mess up (for religious people it’s called ‘sin’), when you realize your mistake you ask for and receive God’s forgiveness and grace.
Just a moment here — we need to talk about our (yours and mine) reaction to God’s forgiveness. Gratefully we accept His offer! But what do we do with it? In the Lord’s Prayer we are reminded “…forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors….” Most of us move merrily along without a thought to what it means to/for ME!
In another place, Matthew 18, Jesus tells the parable of “The Ungrateful Servant” where He explains this statement in His prayer teaching. The king forgives the very large debt of a subject and then the story of how this forgiven subject treats someone who owes him a debt. It’s interesting reading and provides insight we don’t usually like to see (Matthew 18:21-35 tells the whole story).
Whether we like it or not is not the question. It’s God’s way of dealing with things and, since He’s the author of life He gets to make the rules! Fair? You ask for and receive forgiveness — GREAT! You are asked for forgiveness and don’t offer it — HOLD ON.
Why not try it God’s way? Personal experience tells me His Way is BEST. When there is a question of how or why I find it best to go to the most reliable source available. God is ALWAYS AVAILABLE! And He has only your best interest at heart.