May 1st, 20

MAY 1,  LIVING WITH A GENEROUS HEART

Our readings today are I Chronicles 14 – 15, Psalm 132, and Matthew 18.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

The king is merciful but the debtor is not.  His debt had been paid in full.  Mercy had been shown to him but this man will not show mercy to those that owe him.  Why is he behaving this way?  Why is his heart not changed by the mercy and kindness of the King?  Why is he so desperate to collect from others when he is now debt-free? Maybe it’s because the heart of the flesh resents the King.  The heart of the flesh never wants to admit its debt.  When the debt is pointed out, and even when it’s forgiven, the heart doesn’t receive it as such.  The heart of the flesh is still trying to pay back and earn, to rid itself of the shame of the debt, by extracting it from others.  The debtor wants to free himself of the shame so he can say to the king, “Thanks, but no thanks. Here’s your money.”   He is desperate to never be in that position again.

But the heart that is ready to receive mercy is evidenced by the desire to offer mercy. It realizes the debt was too great and there’s no way to ever repay it. The King has absorbed the loss because of his generous heart.  And this is true for you and for me, too.  King Jesus has absorbed the debt.  He took on our insurmountable debt, and on Calvary’s mountain he said, Forgiven!  We could never collect enough from others to pay back what we owe.  Nor could we  ever save up enough to pay for future damages.  We must simply see and receive from the generous forgiving heart of the King.  That’s it.  And when we do that we are changed by His loving, forgiving, and merciful heart toward us.  And we  can offer that same heart of generosity, to others.

Offer forgiveness to others debts, in the same way that yours have been forgiven.  Live with a generosity of heart, offering God’s mercy and kindness to all who are in need.

You are loved!