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READ: MATTHEW 18:21-35\n\n\n\nMany of us love a good revenge story. In movies, books, and TV shows, we love the story of someone who takes matters into their own hands and gets back at the bad guy\u2014we want to see the bad guys get what they deserve. Many of us have been on the receiving end of bullying or mistreatment, and we know what it\u2019s like to want revenge.\n\n\n\nBut what happens when we\u2019re the ones doing the bullying or mistreating? Well then we may be tempted to think it wasn\u2019t a big deal. We may come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to explain away what we did: \u201cI was just joking. I was tired. You\u2019re overreacting.\u201d Or maybe we try to justify what we did: \u201cWell, I wouldn\u2019t have hurt them if they hadn\u2019t hurt me first!\u201d We may want revenge when we\u2019re the ones who have been hurt, but when we hurt somebody else, we might try to explain it away.\n\n\n\nDo you see the problem here? We\u2019re all hypocrites! In our sinfulness and brokenness, we have one standard that we apply to others, but we fail to live by our own standard. How often do we insist on punishment for others\u2019 sin but excuse our own sin?\n\n\n\nIn Christ, we\u2019ve been forgiven a tremendous debt. Jesus has wiped away our debt of sin through His death and resurrection, and He calls us to show that forgiveness to others. We see this in Matthew 18:21-35, when Jesus tells a parable where one servant had been forgiven of a HUGE debt\u2014millions of dollars. But he still refused to forgive a fellow servant who owed him a much smaller debt. When we refuse to forgive others, we are acting like that first servant.\n\n\n\nIf you know Jesus, you\u2019ve been forgiven, and His Holy Spirit lives in you, empowering you to forgive. Jesus knows that forgiving others isn\u2019t easy. It\u2019s normal to want revenge. But He showed us a better way. Even when He was being nailed to the cross, He cried out, \u201cFather, forgive them, for they don\u2019t know what they are doing\u201d (Luke 23:34). That is amazing love. \u2022 Jacob Bier\n\n\n\n\u2022 Forgiving someone doesn\u2019t mean saying that what they did is okay or even being in close relationship with them. When people sin, they need healing, and forgiving someone means you desire healing and wholeness for that person. How does Jesus, the ultimate Healer, enable us to desire healing for those who hurt us?\n\n\n\nPeter\u2026asked, \u201cLord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?\u201d \u201cNo, not seven times,\u201d Jesus replied, \u201cbut seventy times seven!\u201d Matthew 18:21-22 (NLT)