40acts: Ready to ActSample

Act 40: Written Off

As we reach the end of Lent, the cross stands within our sights as the ultimate symbol of love triumphing, freedom won and debt paid. Jesus told a powerful parable about a man who successfully pleaded to have his debts cancelled. Sadly, instead of modelling the grace and mercy he’d received, he went out and demanded repayment from someone who owed him relatively little. Jesus’ sacrifice has released us from all that we couldn’t repay.  Who owes you something? Can you extend mercy to them?  

It’s not easy to get our heads around the wholehearted love that God our Father has for each of us. It’s outrageous, unreal (except it is very, very real!). Fully accepting his forgiveness is something we need to return to, time and time again. We are really truly forgiven in every way – it’s the biggest gift there is. When we spend time soaking up that truth, three things happen:

- Our gratitude to God grows.

- Joy in our own salvation is restored.

- We want to share that grace with others.

It just becomes easier to forgive and be open-hearted and generous of spirit with other people.

Part of being generous is about letting go of what we regard as ‘ours’. We don’t need to be uptight with others because God wasn’t with us. We don’t need to right every wrong for God; he is quite capable! Have you allowed your faith to permeate your life so much that you live with a generous heart? Do we live gratefully for all he has poured into our lives, enough to simply decide to live in a generous way?

Proverbs 11:24–25 in The Message reminds us with force the consequences of Godly living: ‘The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.’

The choice is simple and stark, yet it’s one that will unlock so much richness of life. Today, stop and commit to live gratefully for all he has done and be determined to be generous in attitude and in action. Find grace for that person - you know the one I mean. Your world will get larger and larger, and never have I seen anyone who has regretted living a generous life!