Let It Go

Forgiveness

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. – Micah 7:18

“God exhibits his grace when he gives you something that you don’t deserve; and he shows mercy when he does not give you what you do deserve. The word ‘mercy’ speaks of pity and compassion for someone who is suffering, even if it is their own fault. The Bible tells us that God delights in showing mercy. In fact, the salvation he offers through Jesus Christ is based on his mercy. For God so loved the world—i.e. in his mercy, he so pitied the world—that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).  The Bible tells us to be imitators of God. We can’t imitate his attributes of being all-powerful or all-knowing or ever-present. But we can imitate his character; and part of his character is showing mercy. We need to imitate God’s mercy all the time; because, in the natural, we get offended by people and want to retaliate. But Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy’ (Matthew 5:7). He also said that the same measure we use for others will be used for us. Jesus illustrated these principles through the parable of a king’s servant who owed the king a vast sum of money. When payment was required of him, he pleaded for mercy, and the king granted it to him. But that servant then went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a pittance by comparison; and when his fellow servant begged for a little more time to pay it back, the king’s servant had him put in jail. The parable ends with the unmerciful servant being thrown in prison until he could pay the whole sum he owed. The person who did not show mercy in the parable ended up hurting themselves, just as we hurt ourselves when we don’t forgive and show mercy to others. Some of us have negative nervous, emotional, and physical manifestations, because we are holding on to things. Let’s let it go. Let’s be imitators of God. Let’s be people who delight in mercy.” – Pastor Cymbala

1. Define mercy.
2. How did God show his mercy to the world?
3. Why do we need to imitate God, who delights in mercy?
4. Read Matthew 18:21-35 on the parable of the unforgiving servant and explain the spiritual lesson it teaches.
5. Think of an offense that you need to let go of today.