Monday, September 22, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: 1 Corinthians 16

Matthew 18:21–22 
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”

Peter thought he was being generous by suggesting forgiveness seven times. In his culture, three times was considered sufficient, so seven must have seemed more than enough. But Jesus shattered that expectation. Forgiveness, he explained, isn’t about keeping score. It’s about living in a continual rhythm of mercy.

Jesus told a parable in Matthew 18:21-35 that explained God’s mercy. A servant owed his king an impossible debt, one he could never repay in a thousand lifetimes. When the king ordered justice, the servant fell to his knees and begged for patience. Filled with compassion, the king didn’t extend the deadline; he canceled the debt entirely. That’s the gospel. Our Heavenly King cancels the debt of sin we could never pay back on our own.

The forgiven servant immediately found a fellow servant who owed him only a small amount. Instead of showing the same mercy he had just received, he demanded repayment and threw the man in prison. When the king heard, his response was piercing: 

Matthew 18:33
“Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”

The contrast is staggering. The man who was released from a mountain of debt refused to forgive a pebble-sized offense. That’s the tragedy of unforgiveness. It blinds us to the mercy we’ve already received and chains us to bitterness that poisons our relationships and limits our future. Jesus’ story reminds us that when we cling to resentment, we’re like prisoners holding the keys to our own cell but refusing to use them.

Every time we replay the offense, every time we clutch the pain instead of releasing it, we rattle the chains that keep us stuck. Forgiveness is the act of unlocking the door. It doesn’t erase the hurt or deny the cost. It opens the way for the healing, freedom, and peace only God can provide.

Forgiveness may feel impossible when the wound runs deep. Yet it’s in that very pain where God’s power shows up. He is breaking chains, healing hearts, and writing a new future we could never step into while clinging to the past.

Questions:
Where in your life are you still holding onto an offense instead of unlocking the door to freedom through forgiveness?

How does remembering the mountain of debt God has forgiven in you change the way you see the pebble-sized debts others owe you?

What step can you take this week to begin releasing bitterness and allowing God’s healing power to write a new future in your life?

Next Steps: 
Write down one person or situation from your past that still weighs on you. Pray, asking God to help you forgive, not once, but as often as it takes. When you are ready and if it is possible, connect with that person for resolution. 

Prayer: 
Heavenly Father, thank you for canceling the debt of sin I could never repay. Your mercy is greater than I can fully comprehend, yet I often hold onto the smaller debts others owe me. Lord, I don’t want to live in the prison of unforgiveness any longer. Today, I place my pain, my hurt, and my anger in your healing hands. Give me the courage to unlock the door and step into freedom. Fill my heart with your mercy so I can extend it to others, just as you have poured it out on me. Break the chains of bitterness, heal my heart, and write a new future for me through the power of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:
Romans 12:17-18
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

This post was written by Monique Myers, a Perrysburg attendee and regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.