Aug 30, 2016

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Mark 11:22-26

devotional summary

Sometimes Jesus’ words are just hard, aren’t they? Sometimes I just want to overlook the things He says and pretend He really didn’t mean them. Like these last words. “…if you remember anyone who has wronged you, forgive him so that God above can also forgive you. If you don’t forgive others, don’t expect God’s forgiveness.” I would just as soon not hear those words. I would like Jesus to just forget to tell us that and tell us that God will just forgive us and forget the rest.

Unfortunately, He didn’t. He said it. He made it pretty clear. If you don’t forgive others, don’t expect forgiveness from God. He gave us a few illustrations to make it clear. The story of the king that forgave the servant who owed him 500 years wages and then the servant failed to forgive a fellow servant a few day’s wages. Remember what happened to him? He and his family were thrown into jail until he could pay it all back. That meant forever.

Jesus meant what He said. Forgiveness is why He came to earth. That’s why He put on human flesh and spent thirty years walking beside us suffering the same things we suffer. That’s why He worked and toiled and preached and taught. That’s why He took on the Pharisees and the scribes to help us understand what God really wants us to know about having a relationship with Him. That’s why Jesus took all the ridicule from the religious leaders. That’s why He endured the cross. It was all about forgiveness.

Today's Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year - 1 Chronicles 15-19

see the whole year's plan here