You Should do the Same: Gospel Today Devotional - 2nd February, 2024

Many times when we see people do something or hear them say anything and we decide to watch or listen carefully, we get to find out that sooner or later, we begin to speak and do those things we heard and saw from such persons. That's the reason most times you discover a lady who never cooked for once only cooked for the first time and the taste of that food was exactly like that of her mother's. While this may be surprising, it really should not, why? Because although that lady might not have practiced in the real sense but having watched the mother cook consecutively, she would have studied everything about her cooking style, only waiting for an opportunity to try it out.

Let's talk about teachers, and students for a moment. You see, when a subject is taught by a teacher, especially subjects like Mathematics, Further mathematics, you would agree with me that all the teacher does is to explain, solve a few examples and then give the students some questions, right? Why? So as to ascertain if truly the students understood what he taught them. Glory to God. As students, what shows to a teacher you understood that which was taught is your positive feedback from the tasks he gives to you. This is just the simple implication of you doing as you have been taught.

Why were such illustrations given? To help us understand better what it is the Lord has in mind for us today. Hallelujah! Having being made his by faith, we are to live even as he lived, we are to love even has he loved, we are to be compassionate even as he was, etc. If truly he is our master, we are to follow his example. Jesus speaking in John 13:15 said to his disciples that the reason he washed their feet was to lay for them an example so they would do just as he did. This would lead us into our study for today, and the passage of scripture under consideration is seen below,

"Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?" (Matthew 18:33).

The Lord Jesus speaking in this particular passage of scripture told a parable to the people how that a servant was owing his master some amount of money and his master requested that he paid back all else he would be sold, not just him but alongside his wife, and children. However, it was recorded in scripture that the servant pleaded with him (his master) to be patient, and the master being moved with compassion forgave him. The same servant found himself in a similar situation, but what did he do?

After receiving forgiveness, and pardon from his master, he saw a fellow servant who owed him as well, and demanded that he paid him what he owed him. The servant however pleaded with him but he refused. Can you imagine? This was someone who was just forgiven by his master for owing even more but yet was unwilling to forgive another. If you read through the text and of course you should, you would discover that the case was reported to his master, and his master who had forgiven him had to revisit his case, why? Because he refused to do the same as his master.

This was a parable stated by Jesus to explain forgiveness. Forgiveness should be the default setting of every believer just as we have been forgiven. It is in the Lord's prayer to his disciples that we pray to the Lord to forgive us even as we forgive others, right? Although we say this, many times, we don't act it neither do we live it. Just like the servant, we are most times unwilling to let go of (forgive). Although we have been forgiven, we fail in our own capacity to forgive others even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. We should the same as our Father. There's now a nature of forgiveness in you, and you must let this nature find expression in your life as a believer. You should do the same as your Father. That's his desire, that we should live, and act like him, and let the nature which  he has given us find expression in us. May the Lord help us to live, and act just like him. Amen.

Thought for the day: 

There's now a nature at work in you as a believer, that of forgiveness. You're to let this nature find expression in your life by forgiving others just as you have been forgiven.

Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08053662272 or Email: [email protected].