“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!”
Matthew 18:21-22 NLT
I have often wondered how many times have I missed the mark in my life? How many times was I in need of forgiveness? My answer would be more than I can count. I am quite sure we all would fall into this category of need and would have a difficult time numbering our sin before God. Yet these verses today show us the true heart of our God.
Peter asked the Lord am I to forgive seven times? Peter, like all of mankind wants to define and number mercy. God has no such plans. Jesus told Peter no not seven but seventy times seven. Jesus’ answer shows not a specific number of forgiveness, but a life style, a mind set fixed on the grace and mercy available to us all.
The Lord gives every opportunity to grow and restore our relationship with him when we sin . When we ask for forgiveness, our God is faithful to forgive and does so right away. Our God is truly the God of second chances because he truly loves us. The sooner we realize the grace we are given each day, the sooner we will offer such grace to others as well.
Not just a few times are we to forgive but continually in our lives. We need to be people of second chances!
In Christ
RJ