Matthew 18:21-22
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.’ ”
One time Joyce and I were returning home and saw our next door neighbor pulling up grass in her front yard. I stopped and made some remark about how hard she was working. She snarled back, “Well it’s all thanks to you! Why didn’t you talk to me instead of complaining to the manager?”
I had not mentioned anything to anyone about her yard and was dumbfounded by her accusation. Try as I might, I was never able to convince that woman that we were not the ones who had complained.
We remained neighbors for a year or so following that episode. It made no difference what we did, we remained her enemies. It became evident that we were not the only ones who were the objects of her bitterness. The result was that she never was happy and made those around her unhappy as well.
Job was also faced with false accusations from his so-called friends. It became one of his many trials and ordeals. But there is an interesting element in the entire incident. After God had appeared and Job had confessed his questioning of God, the Lord dealt with his accusers.
In Job 42, we read that God required his accusers to make sacrifices before the Lord and then go to Job and he would pray for them. In verse 8 we read these words; “My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.” Let’s be that type of forgiving person.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil