Thursday, September 10, 2026
Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also My Heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35)
This is a terrifying story. Because what if we try our best, but we just can’t forgive? Is there any hope for us?
Yes, I think so. Because the servant in this story isn’t looking for help to forgive his fellow servant. He’s enjoying the situation, deliberately finding the man and then choking him and throwing him in prison! No wonder the king takes back his mercy.
But we—well, we’re trying. We know very well just how much Jesus has forgiven us. We know He died and rose again to wash us clean and to make us His own. And so, we want to do as He says. We’re praying, we’re begging the Lord for help. But our feelings keep tripping us up. What can we do?
We can start by telling the Lord the honest truth about our situation, if we haven’t done that already. And then we can say something like this: “Dear Lord, I can’t get the better of my feelings. I can’t make myself forgive. But You can do it. You can forgive them for me. I’m asking You to drop the charges against them in heaven. Please forgive them for what they did to me. And work in my own heart to make my feelings match the reality of what I’m asking You to do. You told us, ‘Apart from Me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5b). So now I’m relying on You to do the impossible in my life.”
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, live in me and forgive these people through me. I need You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions: