Christmas' Basic Requirement

Scripture: "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Jesus saith unto him . . . Until seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22) Remember when . . .? That's a question we hear a lot this time of year - especially when we gather with family and friends. We browse through Christmases gone by enjoying the memories, until we inevitably stumble across the memories we would rather forget. Suddenly, the pain comes rushing back. The sting of a parent's criticism, the broken promise of a friend, the rejection, the disappointments, the heartaches, the betrayals . . . . What should we do with memories like that? Do we have to drag them along, like so much baggage, from year to year? As the years go by, they seem to get heavier and heavier. The answer is "no, we can leave them behind for good." In fact, we must leave them behind! And there's only one way to do it - through forgiveness. Forgiving someone sounds like a simple thing to do. Yet few of us actually do it. We treat forgiveness as if it were one of life's additional options, something we can take or leave alone. But its not. It's a basic requirement for every believer. In fact, as far as God is concerned, unforgiveness is wicked. In Matthew 18, Jesus tells us a parable that illustrates the terrible consequences of it. The parable involves a servant who owed his lord a debt equivalent to millions of dollars. When the debt came due, he pleaded with his master, "Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all." His master was so moved that he cancelled the entire debt! Soon thereafter, that same servant sought out a man who owed him $15. Finding him unable to pay, he ignored the man's pleas for mercy and had him cast into prison. When his lord heard about what he had done, he was outraged! He called him a "wicked servant" and delivered him to the tormentors until he paid all that was due. Look again at the size of that unforgiven debt. Fifteen dollars! The man was not thrown into jail because of what he owed but because of the actions brought about by the unforgiveness he harbored in his heart. The little debts are the ones that most often trip us us. The petty resentments between husbands and wives, between brother and sister, between children and parents, between bosses and coworkers. Tiny bits of unforgiveness that seem too insignificant to bother with. BEWARE! Those are the kinds of debts Satan uses to torment you. After all, Jesus paid off a mountain of debts for you. You can afford to be generous about the nickel and dime debts of others. Spend time with the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to reveal the unforgiveness areas in you. (Yes, sometimes we know and sometimes we've forgotten the areas that need cleansing.) Whatever it is, repent and release it - really let go, which is your reasonable service. Make this Christmas more than a time to remember. Make it a time to forget. . . . Scripture reading: Matthew 18:21-35