Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 August 2026 Matthew 5:7.
Matthew 5:7. ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall receive mercy.’
Here it is friends, another beautiful summer Tuesday in August. But let’s enjoy these beautiful summer days to the max, because in another baker’s dozen of days, September will step in …with the cold weather. But can you imagine it? The summer will soon be over, when it seems like it’s just begun. That’s why we must ensure to make hay while the sun shines, otherwise time and tide will pass us by. (smile) And in keeping with that sentiment, today we’ll talk about a very important aspect of our faith; FORGIVENESS. Yes friends, forgiveness is right at the top of the list of our faith’s do’s and don’ts.
And we’ll begin by looking at the Prayer Card for Forgiveness that was recently put out by The In Touch Organization. So please read with me: ‘Heavenly Father, thank You for Your forgiveness. It heals my soul, and I want to forgive others the same way. Help me be merciful, remembering the debt Christ paid for me. If I’m holding on to any hidden resentment, please show me so I can release it. In the power of Your Holy Spirit, I open my heart to those who have wronged me. shower your goodness on them. Bless them with the joy and peace of knowing they’ve been forgiven. May you be glorified as trust is restored.’
Ah mih people, forgiveness is of the utmost importance in our Christian faith! So important, that in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ included it in those eight characteristics we call the Beatitudes, which describe one who has been saved. ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall receive mercy.’ (Matt. 5:7) And that’s the scripture verse quoted for the Prayer Card. It’s simple, but ever so powerful! Those who give mercy or forgiveness, will also receive mercy or forgiveness. It implies that those who do not give mercy or forgiveness, will not receive it either.
The scholars explain that verse thus: ‘Those who are merciful … shall obtain mercy has reference to those who have been born again by the mercy of God. Because divine LOVE has been extended to them, they have the work of the Holy Spirit in them producing a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men. Jesus Himself became the ultimate example of this when He cried from the cross, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34)
Now mih bredrin, that’s truly saying something! Jesus crying out from the cross for His Father to forgive the hateful, jealous, angry men who crucified Him on trumped up charges. They thought that they took His life, not knowing that He willingly gave it to procure their forgiveness. What a crossed up situation! But who else could have such a forgiving heart and Spirit but the Son of God, who gave His sinless life as a sacrifice on the cross of Calvary for a bunch of ingrates? Nobody!
And just to show how important forgiveness is in the Christian faith, in the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples, which we call the Lord’s Prayer, it says: ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt. 6:12) That also implies that the Lord ought to forgive us according to how we forgive the wrongs others commit against us. And immediately after the prayer, Jesus made the importance of forgiveness very clear by saying: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15)
Now it could not get any clearer than that my people! If we want to be forgiven, then we must forgive! It’s that simple. But it’s so important that we’re reminded of it all through the New Testament. Jesus Himself repeated it in a slightly different form in Matthew 7, where He declares: ‘Judge not (condemn not), that ye be not judged (condemned). For with what jurdgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured against you.’ (Matt. 7:1-2) In other words, the same things and methods you use against others, will be used back against you.
Then in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, where the Master is irate after forgiving the servant a great sum owing to him, but the servant then refuses to forgive his fellow servant a small sum, and has him thrown into debtor’s prison, Jesus declares: ‘So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt. 18:35)
And then in Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he talks about some practical ways of putting on the new man, he admonishes: ‘Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice: And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:31-32) And it’s those same negative things listed above that often prevent us from forgiving others.
However, please note that forgiveness is not for the other person but for you! For if you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven. And if you keep all the anger and bitterness in your heart then they will make you miserable and you’ll lead a less that successful life. And something that also amazes me is that we tend to hold grudges against other people, and believe that we’re hurting them by so doing, but ofttimes they either don’t know about it or don’t care. So the grudge doesn’t hurt them, but boomerangs back on us. So there’s absolutely no reason to hold a grudge.
And the last scripture on forgiveness comes from James’ epistle, where he condemns favouritism and declares: ‘So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgement without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against (triumphs over) judgement.’ (James 2:12-13) And please, let’s remember that, as it’s all for our benefit.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
That then makes us duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…as you pray for God to bless others…He will fill your heart with LOVE for them… (In Touch Forgiveness Card)
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SCRIP-BITS 
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 February 2017 Colossians 3:13.
10 Feb 2017 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: anything productive for Jesus, broken down, celebrations, colour commentary, compassion, debtor's prison, enthusiasm, even as Christ forgave you, forbearing one another, forgive, forgive not every one his brother their trespasses, forgiving one another, Friday chant, friends, from your hearts, fun, generous help, give thanks, glorious kingdom, he hwo has ears to hear, he will certainly feel, how oft shall my brother sin against me, if any man have a quarrel against any, inspiring, let him hear, LOVE, negative circumstances, party hearty, quarrel, repair the situation, sensible, seven times, seventy times seven, so also do ye, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the power of forgiveness, the weekend, tired, unlimited forgiveness, wicked servant, wisdom
Colossians 3:13. Forbearing (bearing with) one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Ah mih people, yuh hear the Friday celebrations going on? The working man is overjoyed at two days off work and he plans to fully enjoy it in his own way.
That’s why he’s singing ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend’s here at long last! Steups! Thought it would never come yes! This week’s surely been a rough one! The slave driver was at his nasty best.
But Hallelujah! He can’t stop the weekend, and we going to party hearty; party right through it. That’s why we have to give thanks for Fridays and the weekend. TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’
Yeh friends, I know some of us would agree with all that, especially after a rough week at work, but the truth is, it just does not repair the situation, it only makes it worse, because then you have to go back out to work the following week all broken down and tired, and unable to do anything productive for Jesus under those negative circumstances.
Much better our simple but renewing Friday Chant. So let’s chant it now nuh, with the same enthusiasm that the working man sang his Friday song. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that sounds much more inspiring and sensible. At least when you go back out to work you’re not more tired than when you left. And here now is our Bit; possibly the last day for it. But who knows eh? (smile) Only the Good Lord!
‘Forbearing (bearing with) one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’
Oh friends, those words are so important to both our earthly and heavenly lives, that if we truly understood the power of forgiveness, we’d just run quickly and forgive everybody that ever hurt us.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to Peter and Jesus’ conversation on the subject. Jesus had been telling them about praying while having a brother trespass against them, and how they should go and straighten out the situation first. (Matt.18:15-20)
‘Then came Peter to him (Jesus), and said, Lord, how oft (often) shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.’ (Matt.18:21-22)
Yes my fellow believers, seven times just won’t do! Here’s how the scholars explain it. ’18:21-22. All this teaching on forgiveness seemed overwhelming to the disciples, thus prompting Peter’s question: Lord how oft (often) shall my brother sin against me? Peter wrongly assumes that seven times are ample to forgive anyone.
Jesus responds that seven is not only insufficient but that one should forgive seventy times seven, in other words, unlimited forgiveness must characterize the true disciple.’
Wow mih breddren! Even forgiving 490 times is not enough in Jesus’ kingdom! Forgiveness must always keep flowing, just like God’s forgiveness keeps flowing down to us!
Then Jesus told them the parable of the king who took account of what his servants owed him. This one servant owed him oodles of money, but he begged for forgiveness and the king forgave him.
Meanwhile, that same servant accosted another servant who owed him a pittance in comparison to what he had owed the king. However, when his fellow servant pleaded for forgiveness, he instead threw him into debtors prison until he could pay the pittance that he owed.
Obviously the other servants brought the mater to the king’s attention. ‘Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (begged) me:
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth (angry), and delivered him to the tormentors (torturers), till he should pay all that was due unto him.’ (Matt.18:32-34)
Oh my fellow believers please pay very close attention to that story, because this is how Jesus concludes the parable. ‘So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt.18:35)
That’s as plain and straightforward as it can get my brethren. And please note the words ‘from your hearts.’ They are not there just to provide colour commentary, but to specify that our motives must also be right.
And that’s it for today. Please, let’s seriously ponder all that we’ve learned about forgiveness over the last few days nuh, and realize just how important it is in our very lives. That’s wisdom of untold reckoning! Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…else he will certainly feel…