Then Peter came to Him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?"
"No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!”
Somewhere along the line, I picked up the idea that I could sin one too many times and the Father would have to “put me on the shelf”. I lived in fear. Every time I sinned, I became less effective in the Kingdom. Every sin “used up” a piece of my righteousness. I lived dreading when the last bit would be consumed. Fearing that there would come a time when my Father would say, “Oh man, what a shame, that was the line, you just crossed it, now I can’t use you anymore. I guess we’ll just have to put you in a box and place you on this shelf.”
The disciple John wrote: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.”
There is no fear in love.
As I’m unlearning fear, I discover that the forgiveness I am asked to offer others, Jesus offers me. How many times am I to forgive my brother? As many times as He asks. How many times will my Heavenly Father forgive me? As many times as I ask.
There is no fear in love, multiplied seventy times seven.
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