February 23 - 70 x 7
February 23
70 x 7
Bible Reading: Luke 6:36-38
36Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 37“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
THE CHARACTERS ON the children's television show Sesame Street often sang a song that went something like, "One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong." Viewers were supposed to pick out which item didn't belong in the group. Well, Big Bird's not here to sing for you (this is a pretty low-budget devotional), but let's play the game anyway. Ready?
One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong. Which one is it?
Cake Pie Pudding Motor oil
One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong. Which one is it?
Moses Hootie and the Blowfish Daniel King David
One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong. Which one is it?
Mercy Kindness Compassion Unforgivingness
OK, so it's not as good as Sesame Street. But if you answered "unforgivingness" to that last question, you get the point: one of the main ways people fail to show mercy to each other is by refusing to forgive each other.
Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, once asked Jesus, "How often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" Jesus probably shocked Peter with His answer. "No!" Jesus replied, "seventy times seven!" (Matthew 18:21-22). The rabbis of Jesus' day taught that a person should be forgiven three times. But Jesus made it clear that we should never stop forgiving people.
In many ways, mercy begins with forgiveness. If you refuse to forgive someone, then you are not showing mercy. Mercy means loving someone even when he or she has wronged you. Mercy means letting that person "off the hook." Mercy means letting go of your "right" to be mad or resentful. It's not always easy to forgive, of course. It's not always easy to show mercy. But it's always right.
REFLECT: Do you have a "forgiveness limit"? Is there someone you need to forgive? Perhaps there is someone you need to ask for forgiveness.
PRAY: "Lord, I'm sorry that I've had a hard time forgiving ___________________________ . Help me to show Your mercy by _____________________________________________ ."