City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

^1-2 He said to his disciples, “Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! Better to wear a concrete vest and take a swim with the fishes than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!

^3-4 “Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.”

⁵ The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.”

⁶ But the Master said, “You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.

^7-10 “Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, ‘Sit down and eat’? Wouldn’t you be more likely to say, ‘Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I’ve finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper’? Does the servant get special thanks for doing what’s expected of him? It’s the same with you. When you’ve done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ‘The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.’”

Luke 17:1-10 (The Message)

Aisha’s Analysis

In today’s scriptures, it’s interesting to note the disciples recognized their need for faith to extend forgiveness to others. This is somewhat astute given their track record. When we have been wronged, especially repeatedly, it can be all too easy to get hardened and jaded and seem impossible to genuinely forgive. 

In fact, forgiveness is impossible in and of ourselves. It’s futile to try to give something you don’t have. However, faith in Christ changes everything. When we receive the forgiveness God through Christ freely offers to us, we are filled with a surplus of forgiveness to extend to others. 

It’s not about what offense someone has committed against you. That’s none of our business. Let God handle that. But it is our completely reasonable and expected duty to forgive those who have wronged us. This is the essence of the Gospel. 

It’s also very encouraging to note that even a tiny amount of faith the size of a poppy seed can yield astronomical results. This shows us it’s not the size of our faith, but the object of our faith that is key. A small tiny electrical cord plugs into an outlet and gets the power it needs to function according to its intended purpose. Yet if it’s unplugged, it’s powerless to function as it was designed. 

It’s the same with us. God doesn’t expect us to perform apart from Him. The fact is we can’t (See John 15:5). God is not a cruel taskmaster who gets any kind of pleasure from our pain or failure. He’s a kind and generous Father who gives us everything we could possibly need to live a godly and glorious life. If He asks us to forgive, it’s because He’s empowered us to forgive. 

Application

Are you finding it difficult or downright impossible to forgive those who have hurt you? If so, it might be because you are disconnected with God. It’s only by staying connected to Him that we are empowered to walk in forgiveness and fruitfulness. 

The key to victory is not trying harder. It’s cultivating a genuine love relationship with Jesus Christ. When you do that, you’ll do more for God on accident than you ever could on purpose. 

Prayer

Holy Father, thank You for forgiving me of all my transgressions against You. You are a righteous and holy King. I surrender my life to You. I don’t want to be entangled by anything that doesn’t glorify You. Thank You for unshackling me from the bonds of sin. You have set me free from the power of evil and darkness, and I intend to do the same with others by Your grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.