Daily Devotion January 15

January 15: Matthew 18:28-35

KJV Key Verse: Matthew 18:35
  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Devotion:
This is one of those parables that some people love to avoid whilst others will try anything to give it as an example; and yet some will take it and say that God cannot love us because of the hatred shown here. If we are honest with our own feelings and the way we live we would probably have to admit to some time in our past when we have wished something bad on someone or taken revenge on someone. But what happens when the people we love to hate actually say sorry and mean it?

Jesus was trying to teach the people around Him that loving others would be difficult at times because not everyone wants to love others. Loving people may seem impossible at times because of how they live. But then again we may be seen as impossible to love because of the things that go on in our heads. Don’t forget that God looks inside the heart and does not just listen to what you have to say. We may be able to pull the wool over some people’s eyes but we will never do that with God.

When we are honest with others we can get ourselves into deep water just by saying what is on our minds; what is on our minds and in our hearts is not always what we say though as we try to filter out the unpleasant looking stuff and hide our true hearts from those around us. God continues to love us no matter what happens in our lives, but that does not mean that He will ignore what we do.

We have this choice as to whether we live a life that will please Him or live a life of total rebellion against Him. If we choose to rebel all the time then we will have to put up with what happens in our lives. It’s not that God will be on our backs all the time because we dare to go against Him, but rather that we will have to put up with the consequences that will happen because God has already warned us of the consequences. We are making a horrible choice and we have no other person to blame but ourselves.

Points to Ponder:
Do you blame others for your errors?

Will you accept your just punishment always?