Highlighted New Testament Bible

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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 21, How many times to forgive? How many times to love?

Our paragraph topic is:  (Peter asks how often to forgive) Part 1. 

If thy brother sin against thee, show him his fault between thee and him alone.  Talk to him/her face to face.  Help them to understand their sin.  Win thy brother/sister back from the clutches of evil.  For evil will come.  Evil will tempt.  Evil will possess and will not let go.  Fight for the soul of those that are lost that they may return to the light and leave the darkness that has enticed them to sin.  Forgive thy brother/sister for they are under the influence of sin and they do not know the transgressions that they have made.

The battle is with sin and the weapon is love for we who love our brothers and sisters.  We who  treasure their light as we treasure our own, love them.  We who love them forgive them of their trespasses.  We who love them forgive them their sins.  We who love them forgive them the things that they do against us.  They do not know that evil has influenced them. 

Forgive them one time.  Forgive them two times.  Forgive them three times.  Forgive them seven times.  Is this enough?  This is the question that Peter wanted to know from Christ.  How often should we continue to forgive our brothers/sisters of their sins?  How often should we have patience with our brothers/sisters?  How often should we open ourselves to their sin in order that they may be forgiven? This is Peter's question for he wanted to know.  Then Peter came up to him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive himUp to seven times?" 

Is seven times enough?  How many times should we forgive?  How many times must we accept the sins of our brothers and sisters and still love them?  For they would sin against us.  They would sin against others.  They would sin against their families, their children, their mothers, their wives, their fathers, they would sin against all who would not accept their ways.  And they would even seek to influence us to sin.  For this is the way of sin.  Transgress and seek others to transgress with you.  Sin seeks companionship.  Sin seeks others.  Sin seeks all to sin against the God our Father.  For this is the way of sin. 

And we who seek not to sin, stand in the way of sin.  For sin would seek to have us limit the love of the Father.  Sin would seek to make us angry.  It would seek to turn us away.  It will seek to stop us from loving.  It would seek to make us not forgive.  For how often should we forgive?  How often should we tolerate?  How often should we put up with the same things over and over again?  We too would be angry.  We too would be tested.  We too would seek to turn away that we would not have to love.  But Christ is love.  Christ is forgiveness.  Christ is the life that was given to us that we may shine in the darkness.  He is our strength.  He is our protection.  He is our provision.  He is our all.  For through him and with him and in him, we become love.  We are examples of the love from the Father.  It is our love that shines forth in the world against the evil that would possess all. 

Come!  Know the truth of who you are in Christ.  See the life that is within you.  Feel the love of the God your Father that will overwhelm you, engulf you, fill you, and nurture you.  For we are his children and he is our Creator, our Father.  And nothing can separate us from him.  The light of Christ awaits your call.  The light of Christ awaits your desire to be with him.  The light of Christ stands at your door waiting for you to open it that he may come and reside within you.  Open your heart!  Seek to know who you are in him!  He awaits you.  He loves you. He will be with you always.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.