A preacher told the true story of one of his church
members, an attorney, who after meditating on several scriptures, decided to
cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than 6
months. He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its biblical basis and
sent 17 debt-cancelling letters via certified mail.
One by one, the letters began to return, unsigned and
undelivered. Perhaps a couple of people had moved away though not likely.
Sixteen of the 17 letters came back to him because the clients refused to sign
for and open the envelopes. They likely feared that the attorney was suing them
for their debts.*
Observe some parallels of these incidents to our own
lives…
We owe a debt for our sin, and ALL of us have sinned
(Romans 3:23). Perhaps one of the Scriptures the merciful attorney read was “The
Parable of the Unmerciful Servant” in Matthew 18:21-35 (please read this parable
of Jesus). In the parable, Jesus tells about a servant who owed his king an
exorbitant amount of money (10,000 talents). The servant pled for mercy. “Then
the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave
him the debt” (Matthew 18:27).
But that servant whose debt was erased went out and
found a fellow servant who owed him some money (100 denarii). This servant also
pled for mercy but found none; instead he was cast into prison.
When the king heard what his servant had done to his
fellow servant, he called him and said to him, “You wicked servant! I canceled
all that debt of yours because you begged me. Shouldn't you have had mercy on
your fellow servant just as I had on you?” (Matthew 18:32-33). The “master
turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he
owed” (Matthew 18:34).
Then Jesus gives “the moral of the story”: "So My
heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not
forgive his brother his trespasses” (Matthew 18:35).
In Jesus’ parable, you and I are represented in the
servant who was forgiven the immense debt. This is true if we have “opened the
Letter” and accepted Jesus offer…
Jesus paid the debt for our sin when He died on the
cross. This is the truth that “the Letter” (God’s Word) reveals. The Apostle
Paul states that one of the components of the Gospel (literally, Good News) is
that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians
15:3). “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die
to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter
2:24). “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
We owe a debt for our sin and God is willing to cancel
it but too many people will not even open the Letter that explains that.
The Letter (God’s Word) also explains that in order to
receive salvation and the gift of eternal life, we must place our faith and
trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed)
into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). Then, as we walk in the
light of His Word, the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us from sin (1
John 1:7).
Won’t YOU open “the Letter,” learn the Good News, and
respond in trusting obedience?
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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