FREE OTHERS WHEN YOU ARE FREED
Desiring Mercy Devotional
Tuesday, 6th June, 2023
Matthew 18:28-30 NKJV - “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
The only reason why someone can be unforgiving towards people who do them wrong, when they themselves have been shown mercy to get to where they are in a present time, is forgetfulness and a lack of understanding.
We need to take steps to remember where we ever used to be and what the Lord has done for us to bring us out of sin. When we forget how we received mercy, we become unmerciful and intolerant towards others who disrespect us, transgress against us or owe us something now that we think we are something.
The man in this scripture used to be a prisoner, and he had now been set free by the generosity of his lord. Yet when he became free, he quickly forgot what it was like to be a prisoner. He was too excited about his new level and did not consider the mercy that it took to get him there. He wanted to become harsh on those who owed him and cast them into prison if they ever deemed him lightly. He was too eager to quickly forget his former level. But we must not forget our former levels or previous states in life, when it felt like we were in some kind of hardship or prison. We must not forget or else we will become hardened, and unmerciful in the place of power. Do not forget what it was like to be a prisoner some time back. Do not forget how God showed you mercy just a little while back. For every mercy you receive from the Lord, be prepared to pass it on to someone else who needs mercy too. You are not fit for grace if you are not ready to pass it around freely.
Matthew 10:6-8 KJV - But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: FREELY YE HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE.
When you become a found sheep, do not forget the other lost sheep that you used to roam about aimlessly with. Jesus said he came for the lost sheep of Israel, to preach the kingdom to them freely.
A lady whom I happened to help recently to obtain some medical treatment and show of love and concern for some psychiatric disorder she had been suffering, got so beautifully well after some months of care, and could now resume a job she had abandoned for years on account of her illness. And when she resumed the job, God miraculously made her the shop owner so that she became the “ Madam”. Her first employee happened to be hardworking, but along the line she discovered that she was inconsistent and also battled with a disease for which she had started absenting herself from work. The first lady came to me to report this, and began to say that she had heard people say that this employee was simply lazy and had this on-and-off behaviour towards work as a longstanding habit. I asked her whether she had ever visited her and she stood amazed as she realised she had never really bothered to know her employee’s house or find about her real living conditions. When she took the step to visit her, she realised that the second lady lived in a very very dejectable building sited amongst “wee” smokers in a ghetto, with her two teenage daughters. In our conversation, I pointed out to her that this was someone God was bringing her way not only to be an employee in her new shop, but someone God wanted her to take care of just as He through some of us had taken care of her some months back. She was so glad I pointed this out to her and started making plans of increasing her salary and helping her access healthcare etc.
