Forgiveness becomes possible when forgiveness becomes personal. A heart that forgets God's grace cannot give grace. The Debt We Remember Matthew 18:28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ We often focus more on what others have done to us than what God has done for us. What story have I been telling myself this week? Which story has become my identity: what happened to me or what Christ has done for me? The Mercy We Refuse Matthew 18:29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ The greatest danger isn't what happens to us but what happens in us. Who am I becoming because of what’s happened to me? The Prison We Create Matthew 18:30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; “Forgiveness is setting the prisoner free and then discovering the prisoner was you.” -Corrie ten Boom What we refuse to release eventually refuses to release us. Interested in Baptism? Baptism