Matthew 18:28-30 New International Version (NIV)
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[a] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. Friday, August 14 - Matthew 18:28-30 In his song, “Hold Me Jesus,” singer/songwriter Rich Mullins sings this line: “Surrender don't come natural to me. I'd rather fight you for something I don't really want. Than take what you give that I need.” Surrender is another way of describing the spiritual death that takes place when we place our faith in Jesus. Most people think of surrender as “giving up” or “caving in” to someone else. It is that, but the surrender of faith in Jesus is the giving up of scorekeeping, debt counting, and grudge holding. This is so incredibly hard to do, yet it is exactly what we need. No marriage will last if it is based on keeping score of who has done more good things or who has hurt the other the most. A child’s heart slowly dies when they must constantly try to win their parents approval. We do not need to fight for God’s approval. He has given it completely. As Mullins put it: “Your grace rings out so deep, it makes my resistance seem so thin.” Let’s stop resisting. Let’s surrender and die to scorekeeping and simply receive God’s grace