Going to Prison?

I read about this doctor who died and didn't leave a bunch of money for his wife. She couldn't figure what happened to all his assets, so she checked back through his records with the intensity of a private investigator. What would she find? Did he blow all the cash on gambling? Did he have a mistress who he supported on the side? Was he a drug addict who floated to cocaine market in his area?

No. All she found was a number of accounts that were crossed through with this note:

"Forgiven - too poor to pay."

But this wasn't enough for the physician's wife. Later on she decided that these accounts must be paid in full and she proceeded to sue for money. When the case came to court, the judge asked but one question. Is this your husband's handwriting? When she replied that it was, he responded: "Sorry ma'am, but there is no court in the land that can obtain a debt once the word forgiven has been written."

Ever felt unforgiven? There are few things worse in life than having a gnawing, belittling, condemning voice in your head saying that someone is holding blame over your head even after you apologized.

Maybe that's why there are verses like I John 1:9

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

I love that verse, and I apply it daily. That's why I can know and feel forgiven.

But what does this verse have to do with our relationship with other people? Plenty...let me explain.

First and foremost - every human on earth has offended God and is in need of forgiveness in order to restore our relationship with Him and go to heaven. Just like in the story above, God looked at the "bill" we owed Him, and because of Christ's death He can write: "Forgiven-too poor to pay" when we trust Him for salvation.

But that's not where it ends! Too many believers are just like the doctor's wife. They go digging through past records and demanding payment from people. Sort of reminds me of a story that Jesus told- see if you can pick up the theme:

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

"No!" Jesus replied, "Seventy times seven! For this reason, 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 the king ordered that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt. But the man fell down before the king and begged him, `Oh, sir, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.' Then the king 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 and I will pay it,' he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and jailed 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 what 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 until he had paid every penny.

"That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters in your heart." (Matthew 18: 21-35)

You probably have heard this story before, but knowledge is not the issue, application is! Perhaps today God is asking you the same question as the King in the story: "Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?"

I'm not saying it's easy, or even pleasant. I've been wronged before, and I must admit that it sometimes feels good to hold anger in your heart. But the point is that if you are a believer, you have been forgiven of an insurmountable debt at Christ's expense. You were "too poor to pay", so Jesus erased the debt. Therefore you have a serious and required responsibility to go through the book of your life and cross out the debts of those who "owe" you.

If you are feeling unforgiven, perhaps it is because you are holding a grudge yourself. If you are holding a grudge against someone else this day, then God will put you in a mental prison until you "pay Him back" for the death of Christ...think your mental bank account can handle that one?

Questions:

1. Who in your life still has an 'open account'?
2. What is the first step you need to take to start the process of forgiveness?
3. Do you believe that God disciplines those who are unforgiving? Why or why not?