Unforgiveness Will Eat Your Lunch!

Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor

“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Matthew 18:23-35 (New Living Translation)

This parable is quite obviously teaching us about forgiveness. The two verses preceding this parable state this:

“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! “

Now some of you analytic people out there may have done the math and concluded that we are to forgive someone up to 490 times. But what Jesus is basically saying is that there is no limit to how often we are to forgive. He might as well as said ten million times.

Not forgiving will eat you alive. As Andrew Wommack says, “it will eat your lunch and pop the bag!” I spent many years angry with my ex-wife for some things that had transpired during our marriage. I just could not bring myself to forgive her. Holding on to that grudge was literally tearing me apart from the inside out. As much as I wanted to be free and to begin to rebuild my life, I was held in bondage by the exact thing that I was holding on to. What I was holding captive was actually captivating me. Not forgiving her eventually manifested in many ugly forms including a pornography addiction, alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, self-pity, isolation, just to name a few. I was falling apart but in the meantime she was living her life like nothing ever happened.

It was not until I understood and received forgiveness from God that I could truly forgive her. But the moment I did forgive her with all my heart, I received immediate healing. My entire life began to turn around for the good. I was literally set free. You see, this teaching about forgiveness is not just a way for us to avoid being punished. The truth is if you have not forgiven someone who has harmed you, you are already being punished more than you realize. Jesus message here is to help you, not condemn you, as is always the case.

This lesson here is very important my friends. In addition to teaching about forgiveness, I believe we can also learn a lesson about judging others. (See my blog entry entitled “Do Not Judge Others” posted on August 8th. Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 7, verse 2:

“For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged”

Although we can learn a lesson about judging others here, I don’t believe that was Jesus’ intention. He is teaching about forgiving. Following are a couple of scriptures to futher iterate the importance of forgiveness.

Matthew 6:14-15 (New Living Translation)
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. “

One of the biblical principles I have learned is that you only have what you are willing to give away. It sounds odd I know, but isn’t that exactly what Jesus is telling us right here. If we forgive others we shall be forgiven. Give and it shall be given unto you. We all need forgiveness. Forgiving others is a two-fold benefit. It’s a win-win situation every time!

John 20:23
“If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Ephesians 4:31-32
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Colossians 3:12-14
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

Mark 11:22-24
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”


Mark points out clearly that it is imperative for us to forgive if our prayers are to be answered. But he says that if we are not holding any grudges, that we can pray for anything and if we believe we receive it, it will be ours! Wow! How awesome is that?

Have you asked for things that line up with God’s will and not received? Do you feel condemned for things that you know are wrong in your life? Is there someone that has done great harm to you and you just can’t seem to let that go? Forgiveness is the answer. Forgiveness is like a door that will open up blessings in your life. Forgiveness will set you free. Maybe it’s yourself that you need to forgive. That was one of my biggest hindrances for years. I felt so unworthy. I felt like the terrible things I had done were beyond God or anyone else being able to ever look past. How wrong that thinking was. The moment I knew that God was not only willing, but waiting anxiously to forgive me, and then I forgave myself and everyone else I was angry with, freedom came upon me in such a way that I cannot find words to describe!

God’s desire is ALWAYS to help you. That’s the primary reason Jesus came to earth in the first place. It’s only reasonable that everything he teaches us is to build us up, to encourage us, to set us free. Take a step towards freedom today my friend. Let go and let God!

John 8:36
“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”


Thank you for taking the time to read my blogs. Please leave a comment!

Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!

Where did they come from?’ “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Matthew 13:24-30 (New Living Translation)

Jesus explains the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds to his disciples:

Matthew 13:36-43
Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”
Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!


Here's my commentary:

As with many passages from God’s word I get something new almost every time I read them. Jesus tells us quite plainly here that the wheat represents those who have become sons of God by believing in him and the weeds are those that are children of the devil. I was reading one interpretation earlier that likened this story to the Garden of Eden. God had planted the goods seeds of Adam and Eve there for the purposes of being fruitful and multiplying. But then the serpent came along and planted the seeds of evil. As a result Cain was born as a child of the devil and ultimately became the first murderer when he killed his brother Abel.

Notice how he says that the enemy came in at night when the workers were asleep, planted the weeds and then slipped away? That’s just the way the devil operates. He’s a wimp. He has to sneak around in the dark. He is a thief and a liar.

I also read this morning that the weeds that are often found in wheat fields tend to look a lot like the wheat itself. However, unlike the weeds, the wheat eventually sprouts a head and produces more seed. The weeds however do not produce anything. They simply attempt to choke out nutrients that would ultimately be beneficial for healthier and more productive wheat. It sounds a lot like the church today. Sure, there are some there who look just like Christians. They walk the walk and even talk the talk but ultimately produce no fruit! Here’s what Jesus has to say about them:

Matthew 7:21-23 (New Living Translation)
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Where do the weeds come from? They come from thoughts, actions and words of anyone who isn’t a true child of God. Jesus says this:

Matthew 12:30 (New Living Translation)
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.”

We know that the only way to become a true Child of God is through Jesus. So there are no gray areas. Either you are a born again believer or you are not. If you are not then you my friend are a weed in the eyes of God.

Those evils seeds are thrown around us each and everyday. They come from the television we watch, the music we listen to, the websites we visit, the magazines we read, the billboards we look at and on and on and on. Satan is the prince and power of the air. He is the god of THIS world.

Should we pull out the weeds? Isn’t it just like us Christian to be the first to casts judgment on non-Christians? We want them out. We want to see them punished. Jesus says here, No! I’ll take care of that.
He tells us to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth. We are representatives of Christ and it is our responsibility to approach ALL others with love, kindness, meekness, gentleness, patience and so on.

He tells us that pulling out the weeds will actually uproot the wheat. This one is a little tough. I have thought for a while now how we would be uprooted by the removal of evil. One thing that came to mind is that he sends rain onto the entire field. We are all his children. Even though the weeds are of no essential value. It is possible for us to draw excess nutrients from them. Water would surely run off from their branches and we could use that water to sustain out own growth.

Matthew 5:45 (New Living Translation)
“In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”

The last part is the part that most people want to just look right over as if it were any less important than the rest. I myself like to tell people about how God IS love and how he is willing to accept them just as they are. I speak of his grace and his mercy. But the fact remains that this earth is going to pass away. On judgment day each person, dead, or alive, man or woman, Jew or gentile, saved, unsaved, slave or free will have to face up to or account for whether or not we believed in Jesus. And if so, what did we do with our lives. Were we fruitful? Did we enhance the Kingdom? Did we make disciples? Did we feed the hungry? Did we give shelter to the homeless? Did we give to the poor?

I love the last line…”put the wheat in the barns” When I was a child I spent summers with my grandparents on their farm. It was fun doing the chores in the field, mending fences, running the tractor and such, but what I really loved was being in the barn. It was fun milking the cows and feeding the smaller animals. It was warm and lots of times, after the chores were over, I would go up in the hayloft and sleep the afternoon away! There was always plenty to eat and it just felt like home!

You are in the field of life my friend. Will the day come when you will grow a head and begin to produce fruit? Tied up in a bundle to be burned or put in the barn to lounge in the loft? The choice is yours.

You may be saying or thinking that it’s too late. I am already a weed and cannot become wheat. I have news for you. God has the ability to graft you into the wheat stalk. Check this out:

Romans 11:17 (New Living Translation)
But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.

It’s never too late but the sooner you make the right choice, the more fruitful you can be. There is no greater joy!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Leave a comment.

Michael

Parable of the Great Feast

Matthew 22:1-14 (New Living Translation)

Parable of the Great Feast

Jesus also told them other parables. He said,
“The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
“So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business.
Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.


“The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’
So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike,
and the banquet hall was filled with guests.


“But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Jesus is talking here to people of Israel. Once again they refused to believe that he was the Messiah. He is saying that the feast is ready; salvation is theirs, ready for the taking. But they just refuse to accept the invitation.

But God doesn’t give up easily; he continues to send servants, or messengers to let them know that the invitation still stands. Notice he says the guests that were invited ignored them and went their own way. People today constantly put their own priorities ahead of Gods’. People are under the impression that they can go their own way and still get to God. There are so many “new age” religions popping up, so many false doctrines. So many people who think that they can get to Heaven just because they are a good person, just because they treat people fairly. But there is only one way to the Father. You have to accept the invitation.

John 14:6 (New Living Translation)
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

He goes on to tell us that God then sent messengers to gather people, good and bad, from the street corners and everywhere else. These were the gentiles. Gentiles are all people who are not true Jews. For the most part, that’s you and I. The invitation is for all to come to the banquet. Even we who are not the Jews can be grafted in to the family tree.

Romans 11:17-18
But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

He goes on to mention that the King noticed one man who was not wearing the proper clothing for a wedding. I did a little bit of research on this verse and found out that typically in those days, people who were invited to a wedding were also given a wedding garment to wear. I believe this would be similar to today’s’ tradition of all the brides maids wearing similar dresses or the bridegrooms all wearing matching tuxedos. But apparently this one man had refused to put on the garment. It was as if he was being rebellious. He wanted the sneak into the party and enjoy the feast without truly becoming part of the family. Gods desire is for us to not only accept his gracious gift of love, but we are to put on that love like a garment.

Colossians 3:12-15
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Notice that when this man was confronted and asked why he refused to wear the wedding garment, the man had no reply. He had nothing to say. He was speechless. I believe that’s exactly the way it will be for many on the Day of Judgment. There will come a day when those who have rejected Jesus will be standing before God Almighty and asked why they refused to believe in him. I believe they will be frozen in shock. All excuses will be meaningless. They will have nothing to say for themselves. It will be too late. The decision has to come now, in this lifetime.

Matthew 25:10-13
“But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

The time has come my friends for you to make a decision. Are you going to be the ones standing outside of locked gates wishing that you had come to know Jesus in time? The invitation is still open. Today is the Day of Salvation. It’s time for you to make up your mind. Perhaps you have been riding the fence. You claim you know the Lord. You claim to be a Christian. But are you on fire? Is he really Lord of all? God clearly says in his word that he would rather you be cold or hot, but not just warm. He can work with cold. And he delights in hot. But warm he detests.

Revelation 13:15-17
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

He says he will spit you out of his mouth for being lukewarm. Too many of are neaither hot or cold. I encourage you today my friend to make a decision to go after God. Go after him with all your heart, mind, and strength. If you ride the fence, you will suffer the consequence!

Come to the banquet my friends. Put on the robe of righteousness that is given to you freely. Enjoy the bounty of rich foods and great fellowship that is available at the wedding table. Be prepared to say Yes Lord. I believed!

Thank you for visiting my page. Please leave your comment.

Michael

Andrew Wommack Devotional

See My Blog Entry "Parable of the Great Feast"

Andrew Wommack Devotional for: September 17th
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN CHRIST
Matthew 22:11 "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:"

MATTHEW 22:8-14

In this time, it was customary for the host to provide their guests with wedding garments to wear to the wedding. It was an insult of the highest degree to refuse to wear the clothing provided since the guests were brought in directly from the highways and streets. The wedding garment speaks of the righteousness of Christ that God so graciously provides for all who accept His invitation into the kingdom. It must be put on by both good and bad (Mt. 22:10).

Right standing before a holy God is not to be achieved in keeping the law but in humble trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. No one, who is trusting in his own righteousness, can have the benefit of Christ's righteousness. The righteousness that gives men relationship with God is the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, and it comes freely through faith in Jesus Christ.

The way we obtain this righteousness is by putting faith in what Christ has done for us. When we place our faith in Christ, then the righteousness that Jesus obtained by His faith becomes ours.Through faith in Jesus, we can receive the very righteousness of God as a gift. God's righteousness is infinitely more in quality and quantity than man's puny righteousness.

No one can ever be justified in the sight of God based on his own righteousness which comes through acts of holiness. One must have God's righteousness which only comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Paul said in Philippians 3:9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." This is "the righteousness of God."

See My Blog Entry "Parable of the Great Feast"