Wednesday
So how do you treat children? Have you ever thought about the child/baby that is abused? Or neglected? Or aborted? How do you treat your own children? Are you taking them to church every week? Are you teaching them about Jesus? Are you setting good examples or bad examples?
I always thought of myself as a good mother, but I know there were plenty of times when I did not follow these verses very well.
Also, don’t miss that Jesus was also reprimanding the disciples for debating over “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” They had lost sight of what the Kingdom of Heaven was, or maybe they still just weren’t getting it, but Jesus brings them back on track by telling them that they are acting childish. Now there is a big difference between being childish and childlike. I think it is good to ask ourselves which way we are acting, when… we don’t get our own way, someone says something to upset us, etc.
We close our reading today with a parable of the unforgiving debtor. How many times should we forgive? Well, Peter mentions seven, which is the perfect number, but Jesus takes it farther (like He usually does) and tells us seventy-seven times. Double perfection.
It is not always easy to forgive the wrongs that others have done to us, that is why we need the Holy Spirit in our lives to help us do the things that we cannot do on our own.
It also should help us to remember that Christ forgives us and that we don’t deserve it, but yet He will and He does.
Amen.
Pastor Kathy