Influencers Weekly Devotional

August 2, 2010

Go With ME

Embracing Our Sacred Responsibility

Debt Cancelation

"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6:12

For those of you familiar with the "Lord's Prayer," you know the Matthew 6:12 verse above is part of it. I first learned the Lord's Prayer in the King James version. Trespasses was used instead of debts. Living in Mississippi as a child, I saw a lot of signs that said, "No Trespassing," as farmers wanted to protect their property. In fact, the neighbor near our house had one that could be clearly seen. So, I kinda thought the Lord was talking about those times I trespassed on the neighbor's land to steal some of his plums. As a child, I grasped pretty quickly that the Lord knew I stole those plums, and I needed His forgiveness for it. I had climbed the fence, crawled on my belly to a big plum tre, and helped myself to the forbidden fruit. It was clear I did something wrong. What I couldn't understand was why I needed to forgive my neighbor his trespasses against me. We had no plums to steal, we didn't have a "No Trespassing" sign posted, and we didn't even have a fence. But for the sake of being obedient, I forgave the neighbor for stealing the plums we didn't have, on the land without a "No Trespassing" sign posted on it. And just in case he caught me stealing his plums again, I could tell him I had forgiven him, as if he had done it to me. Sounds like some perverted theology doesn't it? Also, it sounds like I was skewing the theology to meet my own needs, doesn't it? Well, I was a child, so I get a free pass on my thinking. But even when older, I still tried to make this verse say what I wanted it to say. For example: Later in life, I began reading the NIV translation of the Bible. This is when I read the words "forgive us our debts", instead of “forgive us our trespasses.” The new description really spoke to me. You see, I was a man in his 20s, married, with a child. Like many young couples who started out, we had no assets or savings to buy necessary household things, requiring me to use the only thing I had as collateral for buying these things, which was debt and my future ability to earn money. And like many couples, it got out of hand and became a burden to cash flow our debt for the cars, the house, the furniture and the boat. This is when I saw the passage, "forgive us our debts" as a quick way out of the burden. Of course, I was looking for a rapid bail-out by the Lord. I later learned that He builds in us a lot of faith and character by helping us dig out of our mistakes over a long period of time rather than with a quick remedy. By viewing it the way I did, I maintained the same self-serving perversion of the true meaning of Matthew 6:12 that I had as a child. Ever caught yourself trying to make God serve you, rather than you serve Him? Ever tried to make a verse support your point of view, even though, in truth, your position is in opposition to what God's word is really saying? You would be surprised how easy it is to do, especially if it is all about "me" rather than God. Financial debt is a hard thing to carry for a long period of time, especially if the interest compounds, making the original debt grow way beyond the amount borrowed. It can become financial bondage, and it can destroy our happiness and quality of life. Most of us know this from personal experience or by the experience of others. However, spiritual debt can be much more damaging than financial debt. Spiritual debt can eat us up inside out, and unless it is dealt with completely, this kind of debt will compound in such a way it will make us detestable and without peace. It can also deeply wound the people we love, and hinder our fellowship with Christ. It was when I began to understand that Matthew 6:12 was speaking of spiritual debt, that I came to understand how important this passage was. This verse is directing us how to have the burden of spiritual bondage lifted from our life, to find the blessed life God wants for us. There are two components in spiritual debt. First is the sum of our offensesagainst God, and second is the sum of other people's offenses against us. Retaining either will bankrupt us spiritually. I use the word "sum" to describe the compounding effect of unforgiven sin, and our unforgiveness of an offense against us, especially in the way we view those people who have hurt us. The longer we hold our forgiveness from people who have hurt us, the greater their offense grows in our mind. In our mind, their debt to us compounds and grows, even to the point they can do nothing that would pay off their debt to us. And like most debt collectors, we often become ruthless in our dealings with those in debt to us, and we can be super critical in our view of them. It can come to the point where this person can do no right, and the original offense against us is only the tip of the iceberg with how bad he or she really is --- in our mind. "Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? ’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. ” Matthew 18:32-35 (NIV) Jesus made it quite clear how important it is to Him that we extend debt cancellation to others who "owe us." He connected our motivation to do this with the debt we have been forgiven by Him. Why is it so important to Jesus? It is important to Him, for we are important to Him. He knows how our life will be ruined if we allow the poison of unforgiveness to live and grow in our life. He knows how it will destroy the most important thing He can have with His child, which is unhindered fellowship with us. He also knows Satan will exploit unforgiveness that we retain, and it will allow access for him into other areas of our life, thus "compounding" the effect of our debt to the Father even further. If we retain the debt that others owe us by not forgiving them, we also retain our debt to God for the sins we have committed against Him. Because of this, we will not be able to grow spiritual equity, for the compounding of our debt will demand an interest payment of our joy, wisdom and spiritual maturity. What a price we pay when we hold back our forgiveness of others. It is just too big of a price to pay. Nothing is worth giving up the blessings God wants for us by doing this. Here's the good news: God is always willing and ready to forgive us the sum total of our debt to Him, if we seek it. Because His grace, by the atonement through Jesus Christ, has brought us into His family, He has completely demolished the separation from Him that would have led to our spiritual death. That is a done deal for those who have received Christ. But I am not speaking on the issue of our forgiveness that leads to salvation. Rather, I speak about spiritual debt that breaks our fellowship with God and the ongoing responsibility we have as His children to get rid of it. Our King is a God of mercy, grace and love, and He is willing to forgive all wrongs, even our unforgiveness of others. But He also wants us to reflect His heart and values to the people who have hurt us, by forgiving them as He does --- completely. The good news is we can be forgiven our debt that breaks our fellowship with Him, when we forgive the debt others owe us. Believe me when I tell you that this is the best deal we will ever have, for our debt to Him is far greater than any debt owed to us by another person, no matter what it might be. Do not argue or debate the facts as I have presented them. Anyone who knows the teachings of Christ, knows what has been presented is true doctrine. Research it for yourself, if you doubt this. If you agree with me, then move without haste to the place where you hand over your forgiveness of another person to God. Yes, giving your forgiveness to another person is actually a gift to God, and this is a holy place for you to go, a place of "Living Sacrifice." This is an act of worship, and is something that will bring great delight to the Lover of your soul. Therefore, go to this place right now and do that which you know you should do. Forgiven , Rocky TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS DEVOTIONAL