Today's Passage - Matthew 18:21-27

Matthew 18:21-27   Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?"  Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.   "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of goldwas brought to him.  Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.  "At this the servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'   The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.   Peter asked Jesus how many he had to forgive a brother or sister in order to meet the standard of God.  To Peter, seven times is already a lot, and seven is a number of completeness.  The Lord, however, said it ought to be seventy-seven times.  What the Lord meant was that we ought to be patient and kind.  When we read what the Bible says about love - "Love is patient, love is kind," we know that such love is not from people; by our nature, even though we can be patient for a while, but it's not an everlasting patience, but rather one that lasts a short time.  We often want to live our spiritual life by our natural life, and it's more like squeezing toothpaste.   Toothpaste varies in size, but all toothpaste will come to an end.  Some people have bad temper and reacts to things immediately, others have better temper and are more graceful, but that's all nature, not a matter of spirituality.  Some tubes of toothpaste may be bigger and last longer, but sooner or later it will come to an end.  In our life, when the toothpaste runs out, it really runs out; when our love and patience run out, we simply can't love anymore and be patient anymore.   We must acknowledge that we need more love.  We need to come before God once again to receive the love of Jesus.  In fact before a person knows how to love others, he must first receive love.  Similarly, as we come before God, if we have never experienced the enduring love of patience and kindness, we won't know how to love those around us.  All Christians understand the Lord loves us, but we seldom experience the fact that the Lord's love is filled with patience and kindness.  In the story of prodigal son, both the elder and younger sons understand that the father loved them, but only the younger son really understands that the father's love means enduring patience and kindness.  When we experience such love from God, we will truly understand how to love those around us.  We must turn back to Jesus and accept His love, and then we will be to love those around us in our lives.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you, for we can love because you first loved us, and we can forgive because you first forgave us.  May the Lord's Spirit help us to receive your love in our daily life, and also to share such love to others around us in our lives.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!             Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!