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Do this first before presenting your gifts!

During this Christmas season, many will share gifts with each other, yet many will still be harboring ill will with each other. They will take care of their “responsibility” of presenting a gift, yet their hearts will still be full of unforgiveness and offense. The Lord Jesus taught that we must first assure peace and forgiveness before we present our gift. These next few weeks are a great time to consider our hearts to see if there is any unforgiveness in our hearts. Let’s make sure we deal with any of these deep-rooted issues before we present our gifts to one another. God will be pleased when we take care of this “most important” business.

Matthew 5: 23-24 “So then, if you are presenting a gift before the altar in the temple and suddenly you remember a quarrel you have with a fellow believer,  leave your gift there in front of the altar and go at once to apologize with the one who is offended. Then, after you have reconciled, come to the altar and present your gift.

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God will NOT forgive you if you don’t do this!

In Matthew 18: 23-35, it speaks of a servant who owed his master 10,000 talents (over 100 million dollars). He begged his master to forgive him, and the kind and compassionate master did. However, this same man went to someone that owed in 100 denarii (approximately $11,000), and demanded payment from him. The gentleman that owed him the money begged him for more time, but he did not. Instead, he threw him in jail until he could pay the debt. Word got back to the master about how the servant treated that other person. The master was enraged. He called this servant back and rebuked him for his behavior. He told him “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him” (Matthew 18: 32-34). Sad story, right? Actually it was Jesus teaching the importance of forgiveness. He said in verse 35, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Wow. this is a powerful principle. Read it again. If we don’t forgive those that ask us for forgiveness, God will NOT forgive us. He is merciful and compassionate with us, and has forgiven us a debt that we could never have repaid. He also expects us to extend the same mercy to those that have offended us. If we refuse to forgive others when they ask for forgiveness, it places us in a type of prison where there is torment. There are many people today who are in this form of torment because they prefer to hold on to their offenses or their grudges? Many have a “root of bitterness” which can actually destroy them. Hebrews 12:15 “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” Don’t allow unforgiveness to remain in your heart. As God has forgiven you your offenses, you forgive those who have offended you! This is God’s will for us.

Matthew 6:12 – And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.