Reflection on Matthew 18:21-35

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Scripture

Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

“Not seven times”, Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.”

Observation

Peter asks how many times he should forgive a brother who sins against him. He suggests seven times, but Jesus says, “Not seven times, but seventy times seven.”

Jesus then tells a parable about a king who decides to put his accounts in order. He discovers that one of his servants owes him millions of dollars. He can’t repay the debt, so the master orders him and his possessions to be sold. The servant begs for more time to repay, which the king grants.

The same servant then cones across another servant who owes him a few dollars. He demands instant repayment, but the servant is unable to pay. The first servant has him thrown into prison.

Some of the other servants see this, and they go to the king. The king then orders the first servant to be thrown into prison until the debt is paid in full.

Application

God has forgiven me so much! I am like the first servant in the parable. My debt to God was so huge that nobody could pay it. But God forgave me and continues to forgive me.

So I need to be a person who also learns to forgive others. What people do to offend me is tiny compared to what God has wiped away for my sake.

Peter thought he was being radical by suggesting that he could forgive a brother seven times. After all, the rabbis taught that we should forgive three times.

When Jesus says I must forgive seventy-times seven, He is really saying “Keep forgiving and keep no record of it.”

I need to become a person who forgives automatically, instinctively and freely. I must become impossible to offend so that I can forgive without restraint.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you forgive me without measure. Please help me to forgive those who offend me equally freely. Amen.

IF THE WIND GOES WHERE YOU SEND IT, SO WILL I

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IF THE WIND GOES WHERE YOU SEND IT, SO WILL I

I was happy, wasn’t I? I was a New Age spiritual healer and teacher with a thriving global soul centre based in Sydney, offering courses, sessions, and products with the goal of self-actualisation. I travelled internationally with my teachings and spoke on New Age radio. I was the ‘creator of my own reality’, tuned into the invisible spirit realm to channel healing, spiritual guidance, and wisdom to myself and my clients. I was empowered and had purpose, by helping others to seemingly heal broken pasts and move into oneness with the Divine. My source of love and energy was ‘the universe’.

I felt I had control over life and access to hidden knowledge to explain all the mysteries. But after 13 years of ‘inner work’, why did I still find myself stuck in feelings of deep inadequacy, shame, unresolved grief, anxiety, and addiction? Everything had to be analysed. Moments of spiritual bliss were ultimately unfulfilling as I moved back into the reality of life. Relationships were challenged as it was difficult to be around people who had a ‘lower consciousness’. I kept searching and striving. I was simply exhausted being my own god!

One weekend, a friend invited me to church. That very afternoon, out of curiosity, I had picked up a Bible in our hotel room. So, I accepted her invitation. I was surprised by a totally different church environment to what I expected. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and the modern worship was uplifting. As I listened to the lyrics of So Will I, it hit me like a ton of bricks. My heart exploded. I realised I had been worshipping creation (the universe), not the Creator.

I had got it completely wrong. I realised that He is the love that I had been looking for this whole time. I sank back down into my chair and sobbed and sobbed. I felt a powerful presence of love and wholeness that was inexplicable. After dealing with spiritual energies for so long, this was completely different to anything I had ever experienced.

The preaching made so much sense. It was like a veil had been lifted. The fact that God was not a distant impersonal consciousness, but we could have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus blew my mind. I knew the Bible and Jesus was true. I was hungry, grabbed a Bible, and continued to go to as many services as I could. Within weeks, I ‘officially’ gave my life to Christ, however I believe it happened in an instant that first moment I encountered the one and only God.

I shut down my teachings and business and I was baptised in four months.

After being in the subjective reality of the New Age, I felt God calling me to study. I jumped into a Diploma of Ministry at Morling College, receiving a scholarship. God formed me through the class content and prayer, community life, friendships and most surprisingly, through doing the assessments! It was inspiring to connect with students at different points on their journey. I really felt God walking with me the whole way through it.

I realised that studying theology is not only for academics but for all Christians. The study grounded my faith and taught me how to approach questions and understand different viewpoints, skills I continue to use as I grow in my faith.

Read the full article at Eternity

Quote for the Day

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Maturity is in part measured by our ability to contribute to our surroundings. And our maturity is so profoundly connected to a prosperous inner world that it can be measured by what we give and the strength we provide for others. Bill Johnson

Secretary of ‘Atheists in Kenya’ Resigns: “He Has Found Jesus Christ” · Caldron Pool

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“A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.”

The secretary for an organisation promoting atheism in Kenya has resigned from his position after converting to Christianity.

A statement issued by the Atheists in Kenya Society revealed Seth Mahiga was no longer interested in promoting atheism in the East African country after he “found Jesus Christ.”

The notice, which was posted to Twitter on Saturday states: “This evening, regretfully, the Secretary of the Atheists in Kenya Society Mr. Seth Mahiga, informed me that he has made the decision to resign from his position as Secretary of the society.

The statement continues: “Seth’s reason for resigning is that he has found Jesus Christ and is no longer interested in promoting atheism in Kenya.”

A day later, the organisation shared a 30-second video of Mahiga during a church service where he confessed Christ and announced his plans to resign from the society.

Mahiga said he is now so happy to be in the house of the Lord and to live by his ways.

Former atheist C.S. Lewis, who described himself as the most reluctant convert in England, once warned: “A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere– ‘Bibles laid open, millions of surprises… fine nets and stratagems.’ God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.”

From Caldron Pool