Title: Give What You Get/Topic: Rewards and Consequences

Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 14; 1 Chronicles 15; Psalm 132; Matthew 18

Scripture: Matthew 18:23-35
23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 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.
26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Observation: A man was forgiven a huge amount of debt because of the mercy of the king to whom the man owed the money. Then he went out and threw a man into prison for not paying him a very small sum that was due him. He showed his debtor none of the mercy he had been shown. When the king heard about his actions, he was angry, and revoked his forgiveness of the man. Why? By being unmerciful after he had been shown much mercy he demonstrated a severe lack of gratitude for the grace he had received. He legally did nothing wrong; the law of the day allowed a person who was owed money to put his debtor in jail for not paying up. No, the man's sin lay in his judging another harshly for the very crime he had committed himself, only to a greater degree.

Application: It is said, “What goes around, comes around” and, “You get what you give” and there is certainly truth in those words. But Jesus is teaching us that we are to give what we get. We are to treat others as God treats us. If we don't, we will get what we give to others, which is probably not what we want.

Prayer: O Father, may I be rich in grace, mercy, love, patience, gentleness and kindness; all the things you give to me in such overflowing abundance, and may I give all those things to others. I want to give what I get. May I be a conduit for all of your wonderful gifts to mankind.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.