ICS Daily Devotions
Extending Grace and Mercy
There was this man who owes his master ten thousand talents that he will not be able to repay him for the rest of his life. The penalty was to have him and his family sold into slavery in order for the payment to be paid. This man cried out to his master, and the master was moved with compassion and forgave the servant’s debt. The master shows forth grace and mercy through his action, and the servant indeed did not receive what was due to him. This is like the Kingdom of Heaven and how God operates. He is gracious, compassionate, and merciful.
Matthew 18:28-30 28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. V32-33 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?
We must not give place to the devil in our lives. To give the devil a foothold is to give him free access into our lives. Simmering in anger is like opening the door for the devil and saying, “Welcome, make yourself at home.” Anger creates a foothold because it means you are harboring a grudge against someone else, holding something against them, wanting to get even. Holding on to anger is an act of turning away from following Jesus and following the devil instead.
We can rest in the knowledge that we’ve been given the power to forgive, as 2 Peter 1:3 says “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”.
When we are forgiving a person, we are forgiving the person before God, and it is done through prayer. Identify today if there is someone we need to forgive, and pray that with the power of the Holy Spirit that is in us, we are able to extend grace and mercy.
Sermon Series: Anger
