By Rev. Louis C. Garcia III
Alva Wesleyan Church 

Forgiveness and the Kingdom of Heaven

 

February 11, 2022



Have you ever wondered what heaven will be like? As a pastor, I constantly think about heaven and ask God to use me everyday to help people come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and savior to secure their eternal living place. Yet I always remember how Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:10 to pray that God’s will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. This always challenges me to not only seek heaven as a place where I will spend all eternity, but also consider how we can live and experience heaven now in our everyday lives.

Today, I want us to look at the way Jesus teaches us how forgiveness works in Heaven. If you like, take some time to read Matthew 18:23-35 to familiarize yourself with the parable of the unforgiving debtor. To summarize the story, there is a king who forgives a man millions of dollars, according to the New Living Translation. The king is merciful as the servant begs for forgiveness and wipes away the whole debt. How amazing that would feel to be forgiven millions of dollars. Yet later on in the day the servant finds a man who owes him only a few thousands dollars. Instead of showing the same mercy that was just shown to him, the servant throws the man in jail until he can pay the amount in full. When the king finds out what the servant did, he orders the servant to be placed in prison and tortured until his original debt is paid.

Each time I read this parable I ask myself: Am I showing the same kind of forgiveness and mercy that our Heavenly Father has so graciously given to me? Is there any area in my life where I’m withholding forgiveness? I ask the Holy Spirit to search my heart and show me any areas in my life that I need to forgive as God has forgiven me. Today, I want to challenge you to do the same. Ask God to examine your heart and show you any areas where forgiveness needs to be offered. Though it may not be easy to forgive, we know all things are possible through Jesus Christ, who strengthens us. The more we strive to be like Christ – loving, merciful and forgiving – the more we all will experience Heaven on earth.

 

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