{"id":13204,"date":"2025-04-14T08:13:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T12:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=13204"},"modified":"2025-04-14T10:45:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T14:45:31","slug":"faith-to-forgive","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/faith-to-forgive","title":{"rendered":"FAITH TO FORGIVE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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‘The apostles said to the Lord, \u201cIncrease our faith!\u201d And the Lord said, \u201cIf you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, \u2018Be uprooted and planted in the sea,\u2019 and it would obey you.\u201d’ (Luke 17:5\u20136 ESV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This passage comes right after Jesus tells the disciples to forgive someone who sins against them seven times in a single day and repents each time (Luke 17:3\u20134). Feeling the weight of that command, the apostles cry out, \u201cIncrease our faith!\u201d They seem to believe that more faith is the solution to this difficult command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Jesus doesn\u2019t respond by giving them more faith. Instead, He tells them that even faith as small as a mustard seed is powerful enough to uproot a deeply rooted tree and plant it in the sea\u2014a vivid way of showing that it\u2019s not the amount of faith that matters, but whether it\u2019s real and rooted in God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forgiving someone repeatedly is one of those seemingly impossible tasks. Yet Jesus teaches that if our faith is real\u2014even if it feels small\u2014God can work through it to do what we cannot do ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forgiveness doesn\u2019t come easily to us, especially when we\u2019re asked to extend it again and again. We often feel like we don\u2019t have enough faith or strength to let go of the hurt or show mercy again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Jesus shifts our focus. The issue isn\u2019t how much faith we have. It\u2019s whether we\u2019re willing to act on the faith God has already given us. When we trust Him, even with shaky hands and heavy hearts, He gives us the grace to do what seems beyond us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t need to wait until we feel ready to forgive. We can move forward, trusting God to help us release resentment and offer mercy. He will supply the strength we lack when we take Him at His word. Forgiveness is about faith, not our feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYER: Dear Father, we admit that forgiveness is hard. There are times when we feel like we can\u2019t do it. But today we\u2019re reminded that You are not asking for great faith, but just a little faith in a great God and in obeying Your Word. For we believe that You can do what we can\u2019t. Help us act on the faith we already have. Teach us to forgive as You have forgiven us. May Your Spirit give us both the will and the power to obey. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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