Forgiveness from the Heart

23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold [f] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. [g] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive a brother or sister from your heart."
Matthew 18:23-35


Have you ever heard somebody say, “I forgive that person; I just don’t ever want to have anything to do with them again”? Is that how your Father has forgiven you? The forgiveness that God expects of you today as a son or daughter of the King who has been forgiven, redeemed and loved forever is really “forgiveness from your heart”, the real kind – not the facade of just words but the kind of forgiveness that brings healing and reflects the love of Christ who lives inside. Have you forgiven from your heart that person who has hurt you so badly? Ask your Father for strength today and forgive as He has forgiven you.