Observation: In response to a lesson about how disciples are to freely forgive those who sin against them, this is the response of the disciples ... they ask Jesus for "more faith". This is clearly because the teaching from Jesus is difficult. It can be very angering and frustrating when a person sins repeatedly - or severely - against us, and compliance with Jesus' teaching to always and repeatedly forgive is a hard thing to do.
However, Jesus' response to this is equally hard on the disciples. The response is that there is no such thing as "more" faith. You just HAVE faith or you don't. If you have faith, then anything you try to do can be granted by God. He uses the example of a tree jumping in a lake, but the actual lesson is, if you have faith, then when you try to forgive someone you will because the Lord will give you the strength and mind to do so. However, if you try to forgive someone and cannot, that is a lack of faith, not less faith.
Application: I am faithful, but maybe not as faithful as I think I am for I continue to struggle with forgiveness. I say I forgive, but I still wish ill on others, and I'm not sure how these two mindsets interplay with each other. I know David has many examples whereby he actively asked the Lord to punish - even kill - those who wronged him, yet he was a man after God's own heart.
Clearly faith is not a continuum. I can't have 'some' faith. I either have faith in the Lord in this matter, or I don't.
Prayer: Lord, again I say today, I have faith in you, and so I put all matters of wrongdoing behind me. If it is wrong to also desire punishment for those I have forgiven, I ask, in faith, for your Holy Spirit to guide me to a different mindset. I trust in your Spirit to change my heart in reflection of my forgiveness of others. As I have been forgiven for so very, very much, I freely forgive others of the little they have done to me. Amen.
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