Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

28 January 2025

Reading From Matthew 18:21-35

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

–Matthew 18:32-35

     God the Father is able to mercifully forgive penitent humans and still maintain perfect justice because God the Son paid the ultimate price for our sins by dying on the cross.  If we claim to believe and receive His forgiveness but do not extend grace and mercy to others, then we prove that either our hearts had never truly been changed in the first place or we were born again but we have allowed ourselves to operate according to our flesh out of resentment for those who hurt us. 

     Our flesh leads us to resent, condemn and seek revenge, but the Spirit guides us to love, forgive, and seek restoration.  The process of our sanctification begins with our born again experience and along the way a tug of war between flesh and Spirit.  The idea is to let the Spirit have His way in our lives as we become more and more like Jesus.  This process has its crescendo at the resurrection where we will be made completely perfect and unite with Christ in perfect harmony.

“God, we need Your strength and power to resist the temptation to become bitter and resentful when we are hurt.  Soften our hearts, Lord.  Make us to be more like You.  Help us to extend mercy and grace to others as You have extended to us.  There is great freedom when we experience Your forgiveness and we spread that freedom around when we forgive others.  In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray these things.  Amen.”

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

–Ephesians 4:32