70X7 or 3 strikes you are out

During my growing up years we moved around a lot. In fact, it seems that I didn't ever go to a school more than 2 years in a row before we moved away.

Back in those days we did not have the technology we have today so we were not able to keep in contact with our friends. We made friends and then left friends behind.

There are some valuable lessons that are learned in long term friendships and the one I want to talk about today is that of forgiveness. Being friends for a long time means there will be disagreements and there will be hurt feelings and in order to make it through them there had to be forgiveness. And sometimes it is making it through the tough times that has strengthened friendships.

I think it is because of moving so much and not learning the lessons of forgiveness that I tended to be a "three strikes you are out" kind of person. If someone hurt my feelings then I didn't want to give them a chance to hurt them again so I built walls. But I hadn't been asking myself the three important questions that I talked about last week. You can click on the link above if you missed it. Anyway I hadn't asked myself what would Jesus do? or What did Jesus do? or What did Jesus say to do? Because if I had have I would have seen Jesus forgiving over and over. I would have remembered the conversation between Peter and Jesus - when  Peter asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Matthew 18:21

"Till seven times? It has been suggested by some that the rabbis limited the times one should forgive another to three, on a false interpretation of Amos 1:3. Fully away of the fact that Christ always interpreted the law in a broader sense than the scribes(see Matt. 5:17,18) Peter here seeks to anticipate the degree of patience Christ might be expected to recommend, seven being the number generally thought of as representing perfection. But forgiving a person "seven times," and no more, would be a mechanical sort of forgiveness.
Forgiveness, on the part either of God or of man, is much more than a judicial act; it is a restoration of peace where there had been conflict (see Rom. 5:1)." SDA Comm. volume 5 page 448-449

22 "Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18:22

"Forgiveness is not a matter of mathematics or legal regulations, but and attitude. He who harbors within himself the idea that at some future time he will not forgive, is far from extending true forgiveness even though he may go through the form of forgiving. If the spirit of forgiveness actuates the heart, a person will be as ready to forgive a repentant soul the eighth time as the first time, or the 491st time as the eighth. True forgiveness is not limited by numbers; furthermore, it is not the act that counts, but the spirit that prompt the act." pg449

I may have moved around a lot during my growing up years but I have been blessed to be in the same general area for 26 years and during this time I have slowly been learning this lesson of forgiveness. In fact, I have one friend in particular who helped me learn this lesson when we had a disagreement and worked through it. And I am thankful that God brought her into my life. Sadly she has moved to Amarillo but I have hope that one day she will move back to the area since she has children who live about 30-45 minutes from me.

We may not have had the opportunity to learn some of the important lesson growing up. But if we surrender our lives to God, He is faithful to finish the work He has begun in us.

 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 

"God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sins, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart." MB114