Faith for the Journey: Five Days of Encouragement and InsightSample

Day Five: The Power of Forgiveness

Now that I am no longer prime minister of Australia, I have had the time to reflect over the many years I spent in the pressure cooker of politics. There are disappointments I have to let go of, where I must pay the price and forgive. There is also repentance I must come to terms with—things I have said, things I could have said better, people I have taken for granted or disappointed, and some policy decisions I regret.

Working through my repentance and forgiveness lists, I am reminded of the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21–35). A servant owed the king a great debt and was about to be sold into slavery, along with his wife and kids. The servant pleaded for more time, vowing to do everything he could to repay the debt. The king showed mercy and forgave the debt in its entirety. Amazing! You’d think this would make the servant more charitable. Not so. He confronted another servant who owed him money, refusing to show the same mercy. Not surprisingly, word reached the king. He was not happy, and he condemned the unforgiving servant for his unforgiveness.

This is such a challenging parable from Jesus because there are few among us, if any, who could claim to be anything other than the unforgiving servant in this story. Unless we have truly forgiven all those who have ever injured us and are loving our enemies and praying for them to prosper and succeed, then we are the unforgiving servant. It is true that I have experienced deep hurt and unfairness, especially in my political life. As a Christian, however, there is no justification in not forgiving these injuries. Regardless of what others may have done to me, God has already forgiven me so much more—as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)—that I cannot even comprehend the scale of the debt I owe to God for my salvation.

How can I therefore dwell on those who have sinned against me and refuse to forgive them? I’m working on it.

Response:

Reflecting on the Power of Forgiveness, consider someone in your life whom you need to forgive or seek forgiveness from. How can you extend or receive forgiveness in a way that reflects God's grace and love?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the unfathomable gift of your unmerited favor and forgiveness. Help me, I pray, to remember that in you, I am forgiven, and to extend that same forgiveness to others today. Amen.