As part of the answer Jesus gave Peter for how often he should forgive someone, Jesus told the story of a king who sought for his service to give account of their debt. Because this particular servant begged for mercy, the king forgave him of the debt that he owed. The significance of the story is that the servant turned on a man who owed him a debt. The natural assumption would be the first man who was forgiven debt would in turn forgive someone else who owed him. Since he did not, this brings into doubt whether that first servant really valued the forgiveness that was provided him by the king. Since he did not offer forgiveness, he ended up in prison.
In our case, we must ask ourselves if our behavior reflects how much we appreciate what Christ has done for us so that we might have forgiveness of sin. It is so easy to go on our merry way glad that Christ has brought us into the kingdom without a routine and regular reflection on the cross. So, how much do we value our forgiveness? Allow me to explore possible scenarios after a person becomes a Christian but does not keep the cross in the forefront of his mind.
When we pray, it would seem probable that we first express appreciation in all sincerity to Christ. And that would not be just one sentence in the beginning of the prayer. Reflect on the agony he experienced. Know that the punishment for sin was placed on him in great degree for our spiritual rebirth. Stay connected with your former life living in sin and the rescue Jesus made for each of us on the cross. Reflect on how far he brought us to a new spiritual livelihood.
When we read the Scriptures, it would seem probable that if we really value our salvation the words before us would have meaning so great that it impresses on us the guilt we escaped. Reading the Bible is paramount in any devotion that we have. We would gain great benefit when we compare the admonitions in the Bible to our personal lifestyle seeking to grow more spiritually mature every day.
How we treat other people (as reflected in this text) should demonstrate our appreciation for the salvation we have been provided by Christ. We must ask ourselves how much we conform in our relationships with how the Bible tells us. For instance, in our text Jesus expects us to forgive as much as needed. When we value our forgiveness, we would pass forgiveness on to someone else that has offended us. Valuing our salvation then reflects on how we treat our family and others.
To show God that we value the eternity he has in store for us, we would not hold grudges because the Bible says that God has buried our sins in the deepest sea and as far away as the east is from the west. God’s forgiveness generates peace within the heart of the penitent. We do not have a peaceful life any other way than keeping in mind the love Jesus showed toward us. Therefore, as we appreciate God’s plan for us, we would generate peace with ourselves and with others. In short, if we really appreciate our salvation, we will conform to how the Bible tells us for treating others. It is very intense to say we are grateful for our salvation and then treat others with dispute. As in our text, this does not balance and our King Jesus will hold us accountable. The king in our text expected the first servant to show as much mercy to others as he was given. So must we live out how we appreciate our salvation. It is impossible to enjoy salvation in relation with God if something is in the way of that relationship.
Christian Writer 