THE COST OF UNFORGIVENESS
Micah Smith
Today's Scripture: "Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Colossians 3:13, NLT
Theme: Be generous in forgiving others; remember, you are also regularly forgiven.
THE $2,400 LESSON
During my college years, I thought I'd struck gold during the PlayStation 3 launch. After camping outside Walmart during finals week in rural Ohio, I managed to secure one of the coveted consoles for $600. Within days, I'd sold it on eBay for $2,400 – a fortune for a college student. But my entrepreneurial victory quickly turned to ashes when the buyer claimed fraud after failing to resell it for even more. They kept the PS3 and got their money back, leaving me with nothing but a harsh lesson about trust and human nature.
The weight of that loss and sense of betrayal sat heavy on my shoulders. Every time I checked my empty bank account or heard someone talking about their PS3, the anger would resurface. It wasn't just about the money – it was about someone deliberately taking advantage of my trust and facing no consequences for their actions. Justice wasn’t done.
RELEASING THE DEBT
In Matthew 18, Jesus tells a parable about a servant who was forgiven an enormous debt by his master but then refused to forgive a much smaller debt owed to him. The poignant parable-parallel hit home for me: How many times had God forgiven my selfishness, my pride, my own schemes to get ahead? How many times had others extended grace to me when I fell short? How often do I want justice for others but grace for myself?
Holding onto that resentment was like paying interest on a debt that wasn't even mine anymore. The person who scammed me probably never thought twice about how their actions impacted me, while I was letting their actions poison my peace of mind. Eventually, I had to make a conscious choice to forgive and let go – not because they deserved it, but because God calls us to forgive as we have been forgiven. That forgiveness didn't make what they did right, but it freed me from the burden of carrying that hurt.
Make it Personal: What "debts" are you still holding onto? How might remembering God's forgiveness of your own faults change your perspective on forgiving others? Consider: is the weight of holding onto that resentment costing you more than releasing it would?
Pray: Father, thank You for Your endless forgiveness of my faults and failures. Help me extend that same grace to others, even when they don't deserve it – just as I don't deserve Your grace. Give me the strength to release the burdens of unforgiveness I'm carrying and help me remember that Your forgiveness of me is the model for how I should forgive others. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Read: Matthew 18:21-35
Weekly Memory Verse: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Galatians 6:1, ESV