Scripture: Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
A man got married. He was on his way back to his village and his horse stopped to eat some grass. "Come on, you stupid horse," he said. That's once!" He went a little farther and his horse stopped again. "That's twice," he said, dragging the horse forwards. The next time the horse stopped, he said, "That's three times." He took out his gun and shot the horse. His wife was horrified. "What's wrong with you?" she asked. "Are you crazy?" He looked at her and said, "That's once."
Peter once asked the Lord how many times he had to forgive his brother, who was probably standing nearby. "Up to seven times?" he asked, no doubt thinking himself to be generous. I can imagine if Andrew sinned against him, Peter looking at his brother and saying, "That's once!"
But Jesus didn't let him off so easily. Instead, He replied, "Not seven times, but seven times seventy."
Hopefully, it would have dawned on Peter that this wasn't an invitation to rip out his calculator, discover that the answer to Jesus' maths question was 490, and than start keeping a tally.
The high number of times that Peter was expected to forgive his brother was meant to be a hint that he shouldn't count at all. He should just keep forgiving.
Forgiveness is meant to be a way of life for the Christian. It's one of the ways that we can be like God. How many times has He forgiven us? Even once per day would quickly add up to a lot more that 490!
But He has taken all our sins, and with immense generosity, forgiven them all.
Isaiah says it like this: I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. (43:25)
Not that Isaiah is implying that God has a poor memory. He doesn't forget our sins. He chooses not to remember.
That's the choice we need to make too.
Just click the link to hear a message by Pastor Tony Llewellyn on Forgiving Others.
Please note that all Scripture quotations, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New King James Version ®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.