{{{COPIED & PASTED from a post I made back in 2019}}}
I wrote this after doing a little studying on animals & what the Bible says about how we should treat them. I don't care if anyone reads it or not but I cite Biblical passages where God's message is clear in how He expects animals to be treated. As a whole, according to God's will, we are not complying with our responsibility to His creations of earth & animals & each other. If we were, there would be no starving animals, no dumped animals, no need for shelters or rescues.
ππππππππππππ’π
ππ
Most of us, when asked are we a good person would most likely say yes. But are we? One of the hallmarks of being a good person is being a good steward. In fact, God asks this of us from the very beginning. In the book of Genesis, God made man & woman. But before He made us, He made all the animals in the water & the ones who fly in the sky & all the ones on land. From the very beginning of time, God asked us to be good stewards. The dictionary meaning for stewardship is: (1) the position & duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc. (2) the responsible overseeing & protection of something considered worth caring for & preserving. Go back & read that second definition againβ¦.the responsible overseeing & protection of something considered worth caring for & preserving. There are many ways we are called to be good stewards: the caring of our children, elderly, sick & poor; the preserving of earth & our natural resources; the preserving of history & historical artifacts. All are important & require more study, but the purpose here is on animals & being good stewards to them. I will mainly be talking about pets but this goes for ALL animals.
Genesis 1:24-26: (24) And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, & the wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. (25) God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, & all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (26) Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea & the birds in the sky, over the livestock & all the wild animals, & over all the creatures that move along the ground." In the study Bible that I have, The Jeremiah Study Bible, the explanation of these verses is this: As God's image-bearers, humans are symbols of Himself in the world. This is evidenced when people put their faith in Jesus: their spiritual nature changes so that it mirrors His. The Lord also affirms it here by allowing humans to rule over nature & delegating them as earth's stewards.
Genesis 9: (1) Then God blessed Noah & his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful & increase in number & fill the earth. (2) The fear & dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, & on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, & on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. (3) Everything that lives & moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. *Here, God is allowing humans to eat "everything that lives & moves" instead of just plants. (4) "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in itβ¦.
Here is a quote from a 2017 article at newsadvance.com/archives/striving-tobe-god-stewards-of-the-animals-in-our/article_fo83b8fe-4262-11e7-966d-eb4cde7a21bb.html
"The United Kingdom developed a set of principles in 1965 to cover the welfare of livestock. These Five Freedoms, since adopted by some animal welfare groups, mandate:
*Freedom from hunger & thirst
*Freedom from discomfort
*Freedom from pain, injury or disease
*Freedom to express normal behavior
*Freedom from fear & distress
"The law falls short in serving animals well when compared to the Five Freedoms. All of us should care about this because a society that treats animals humanely historically treats its most vulnerable human citizens better too. The first recorded case of child abuse in the United States had a happy ending because of laws meant to protect animals from mistreatment. The promises of the Five Freedoms should be the guiding light for anyone who takes in companion animals. The challenge is nudging guardians to do the right thing if they aren't already. It comes down to the Golden Rule. People should treat animals the way they want to be treated. Food & shelter are just the beginning of a good life."
Job 12:7-10 (7) "But ask the animals, & they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, & they will tell you; (8) or speak to the earth, & it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. (9) Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? (10) In his hand is the life of every creature & the breath of all mankind.
http//drmichele.org/biblical-stewardship-includes-caring-for-animals/
has this explanation for Job 12: The animals know God, & are known by God. The love of an animal is unconditional, something that reflects God. God treats people, created lower than Himself, with amazing love & tender compassion. Mankind is created higher than the animals. Your tender loving kindness toward people & animals is a reflection of how God has treated you. You are reflecting His image when you care for people & animals, thus displaying His qualities. God is very clear you are to reflect him in all of your ways.
The definition of stewardship is: the activity of protecting & being responsible for something. Biblical stewardship teaches that human beings are created by the same God who created the entire universe & everything in it. When you look after the earth you are caring for God's creations, & God charged the Christian steward with this responsibility. In obedience to this calling we are worshiping our Creator. You were created to be stewards of everything on the earth. Stewardship isn't just simply for you to serve others; it is to righteously rule over the things God created. He is letting you borrow & rule over the earth, animalsβ¦β¦.
From an August 1998 article at https://www.sciencedirect.com/...
"Since animals can neither obtain nor sustain rights for themselves they depend upon humans for their welfare. Stewardship involves responsibility FOR something & also responsibility TO someone. This can mean responsibility to God, or for those without religious beliefs, responsibility to future generations. Veterinarians act as stewards, responsible for treating animals & responsible to the owners. They also have responsibilities to society. Different societies have different expectations of their veterinarians but veterinarians are well placed to support human stewardship for animal welfare."
Here is a really good article everyone should read:
https://erlc.com/resource-libr...
Jesus said in Luke 12:6,7 (6) "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. (7) Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." God cares for us & knows everything about us, even things we don't know ourselves, like the number of hairs on our heads. Yet God also cares for His creations, right down to the most ordinary of birds.
Exodus 23:4,5 (4) "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. (5) If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it."
Deuteronomy 22:1-4 (1) If you see your fellow Israelite's ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner. (2) If they do not live near you or if you do not know who owns it, take it home with you & keep it until they come looking for it. Then, give it back. (3) Do the same if you find their donkey or cloak or anything else they have lost. Do not ignore it. (4) If you see your fellow Israelite's donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help the owner get it to its feet.
Proverbs 12:10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs 12:14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, & the work of their hands brings them reward.
Proverbs 27:23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds,β¦..
Being a good steward towards animals means being a responsible pet owner. It means thinking about the animal & it's needs BEFORE you ever get it. It means spaying & neutering. It means being kind. It means not dumping your dog or cat because of any & every excuse. We don't dump our kids or our elderly parents so why would you think its ok to just dump a dog or cat? If we were the good stewards we purport to be on Sunday morning in the church pew, we would not have shelters & rescues overcrowded & underfunded. We wouldn't have abandoned animals, dumped animals, unwanted litters, dog fighting rings, the list is almost endless. Shame on each & every one of us because, as a whole, we are not good stewards. #goodsteward #goodstewardsofanimals #responsiblepetowner
I posted this in the Vegetables & Fruit forum but am posting here as well. This way I can hopefully track what progress I make & what worked or didn't work.
πππππππππππππππ
For years we had a vegetable garden. At the time, we were both younger & healthier, & finding someone with a tractor to come bushhog, disk, & till was easier. Then it got harder to have time to work on the garden or harvest before vegetables rotted. It became harder to find people to come out with a tractor so we bought a tiller....Which broke down & we couldn't find anyone who would come pick it up, work on it, & then bring it back. My husband had back surgery & then had all sorts of health issues. He's now on oxygen so I do all the outside stuff. Until our riding mower broke down I could keep the 4 & 1/2 acres mowed. Like with the tiller, finding someone who could come pick the mower up proved to be really hard. So I had to switch to the push mower & since it took forever to get it done around my work schedule & the weather, sometimes I couldn't get the whole property. And then the push mower brokeπ. I found someone who said they would come pick my mowers up & being them back once they were finished. But then they told me they couldn't after all. FINALLY, my uncle - 70 years old & in poor health - took them & worked on the push mower (still has the riding). During this time, the old garden area became horribly overgrown. There were trees that grew unnoticed for years, briars, weeds, & grass.
Thumb of 2022-02-11/Kathy547/7d0745
Thumb of 2022-02-11/Kathy547/5b21ee
I have been slowly reclaiming the garden area, cutting down the grass, cutting down the saplings & smaller trees.
Thumb of 2022-02-11/Kathy547/8f2fad
Thumb of 2022-02-11/Kathy547/1706db
Thumb of 2022-02-11/Kathy547/8d054e
It's hard to tell but there is barbed wire going around three sides. However, its sagged in most places & has decades worth of pine needles & leaves weighing it down in places. I am clearing from what was previously cleared to the fence, which is about 6 feet wide.
I've been making burn piles because that was the only clear place I had for all the limbs, cut grass, etc. I decided to make lots of small piles instead of 1 or 2 really big piles. I remember as a kid my grandparents burning off their garden & yard, & thought I could do that. By the time I mowed, the grass was so tall that I had to take what I could up & throw on a burn pile. But I left a lot Dow. Now that grass might be too hard on my push mower. So I decided to burn it. I only do a small area at a time, when there's no wind & as my schedule allows so it's taking some time.
Once I've burned a large enough area & allowed it to cool, I plan to lay cardboard down & wet the cardboard as in lasagna method. From what I've read, I will then need to add things like chopped leaves, grass clippings, & compost on top of the cardboard. Can I plant seeds on top of this, maybe sprinkle soil over the seeds? Or will this be too soon & the cardboard stop roots?
I would love to salvage the barbed wire & use it along with new fencing but I'm not sure I can. As I said, it's weighed down & hard to handle. There is a better fence on the 4th side but something's dug a place under it & it looks like deer can easily jump it. Years ago we had the stuff for an electric fence but we no longer have electricity at the old shed nearby.
For now, my plans are to keep the deer & rabbits away as I can until I can get someone to help me with a fence (which will most likely be another year). I've been researching methods when you don't have a fence. I like the idea of a living fence of something like cactus (husband says no) or pampas grass but since it's a wooded area all around I'm not sure anything would grow. The idea is to plant things critters won't walk through Or can't see over.
I've got 2 dogs that have to be tethered if they're outside plus 2 more that can roam around because they don't chase cars. I've been tying them out at the edge & sometimes inside the area so they can mark their territory. My neighbor down the road swore by the tuna cans she placed throughout her intended garden. They were beer drinkers & the rule was any visitor had to go do their business in those tuna cans. They always had guys over drinking beer so.....
I know some people swear by things like soap & some people say it doesn't work. I'm going to try it anyway. I've read it has to be Irish Springs & I've read it can only be Ivory. So I'm getting one of each & putting them at opposite corners. I've also heard to tie plastic grocery bags or aluminum pie pans. I think because they will move unexpectedly & make a slight noise & it startled deer. I've also read to use things like wind socks, spinners, & cheap Windchimes. I think I will use all of these things at the outer edges. I'm also thinking about getting a cheap beach ball & putting reflectors on it to look like eyes so critters think it's a predator. I've also read to use Milorganite in the garden to deter deer. I had some years ago but don't remember if deer stayed away from it or not.
I have seen several YouTube videos using fishing line & will also be using that.
I am hoping these help until I can redo the fence.
For the last several years we have had issues with our mowers. It wasn't such a problem when my husband was healthy & was working. What he couldn't do himself he could load them up in his bread truck & take them somewhere to be fixed. Now, I don't have any way to haul them & it has been extremely difficult to find someone who works on older ones. In about two years, we'll have our mortgage, car, & the loan we had to take out for car repairs, paid off. We plan to buy a nice mower from the John Deere place here that has an attachment to till a garden. But for now, we have to work with what we have. Since my husband has COPD & congestive heart failure, I do all the yard work & mowing. The riding mower has been broke for over a year so I would mow our nearly 5 acres with the push mower. It would take me 4 or 5 days with my work schedule to get it all done. Then the push mower messed upπ. Thank goodness we live in a rural area because the yard ended up looking like someone's overgrown pasture. My kids showed up for Thanksgiving & my son & SIL looked at the push mower, found out what was wrong, & fixed itπππ. The riding mower has been at my uncle's for months. I can't really say a whole lot because he came & got it, He's in his 70's, & he's been sick.
My husband thinks it's silly because I'm trying to get it all cut down before it gets too cold. He thinks I should just leave it until the spring.
We also have a garden spot that's about a square acre that we haven't used in years. I've tried having a small garden from time to time but for the most part, its been allowed to grow up. I'm trying to get it all cut down. Once I have the burn pile I started gone, my intentions are to start laying cardboard down & throwing leaves & grass clippings down on top of the cardboard.
I was able to keep the area around the front door cut down with a weed eater. I know its wrong, but when my neighbor would make Facebook posts about how terrible her yard looked & how she hadn't been able to mow this week, I would get jealous & a little angry. But its not her fault she has riding mowers that work & I don't. To be honest, all these times I've had less than someone else, makes me appreciate what I do have. I see the work I've done on my yard with a push mower, rake, & wheelbarrow & I think I'm more proud of what I've done than my neighbor on her zero turn & her John Deere mower. But I'm still counting down to the time when I have a mower new enough to be under warranty & a trailer to carry it to be looked atπππ.
Today is Thanksgiving Day for Americans. In kitchens across the country, all sorts of meats, side dishes, & desserts are being made or cooked. At the same time, people are stressing. Did I cook enough? Is my house acceptable? Will everyone show up? Are others bringing food? Who's going to help clean up? Will someone start drama? Etc., etc., etc.
But not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving. Not everyone celebrates thanksgiving. Notice the difference. There are people who can't celebrate. There are people without food, without family, without a home. There are people living in dark places in their own head that they can't celebrate thanksgiving or Thanksgiving.
Be. Be thankful. Thankful for what you do have, even if it isn't much. Thankful for any family you have, even if they have issues. Thankful for your health, because no matter how many aches & pains or issues you have, you are above ground & every day is a gift. Thankful for yesterday, today, & tomorrow. Thankful for today, & everyday that you have to seek God & know Him, & redeem yourself.
Grateful: appreciative of favors
Gratitude: appreciation for favors
Thank: express gratitude to
Thanksgiving: expression of thanks to
God
Be thankful for even your hardships & struggles. The definition of hardship is: something hard to endure. And the definition of hard is: difficult; unyielding.
1 CORINTHIANS 13:3
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
HEBREWS 12:7-11
(7) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? (8) If you are not disciplined - and everyone undergoes discipline - then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (9) Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! (10) They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our own good, in order that we may share in his holiness. (11) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Be. Be kind. Kind to others who have less, who try your nerves & patience. Be kind to the ones who are elderly, who are disabled, who chase the demons in their head we cannot see. Be kind to the ones who have been unkind in the past, because showing kindness to them may lead to them showing kindness to others.
Be. Be loving. To yourself, to your family & friends. Be loving to those who have wronged you or wronged others. Jesus says in MATTHEW 13:12, "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him".
Dr. David Jeremiah says: "This is the great principle upon which God operates in human lives today, the master key to our spiritual growth. This principle is so fundamental that it applies to other things besides spiritual truth". He then tells a story of having to wear a cast for almost two years. Once the cast was removed he discovered the muscles had wasted down from lack of use & So he had to work at gaining strength back into them. He says, "Everything that is not used is ultimately lost".
Also from Dr. David Jeremiah: "Jesus was giving His disciples a principle: those who have responded to what they have been given will get more & continue to grow. But those who have not responded to what they have been given will find what they have decreasing until it is removed altogether. Lack of revelation from God is due to lack of willingness to receive it.
From Dr. David Jeremiah's Morning & Evening Devotions:
HEBREWS 12:14-15
(14) Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness No one will see the Lord. (15) See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
ππWHO NEEDS TO HEAR THIS??ππ
Several months ago, we had some family drama. I am ashamed to say but I was a part of this drama by not keeping my mouth shut. And then I came across this verse during my morning Bible reading. Which in turn, caused me to do more studying & Bible reading.
Psalm 34:13, 14
(13) keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. (14) Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (I didn't tell lies but I used my tongue to gossip, although I didn't realize that's what I was doing). Here are more verses that mention your tongue:
1 Corinthians 14:9
So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.
Psalm 39:1
I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked."
Wow!! Talk about getting reprimanded by God!!! I was trying to stop drama from getting started but actually started some. And I was gossiping. The Bible also talks about gossip:
Proverbs 11:13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.
Proverbs 16:28 A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
Proverbs 26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
In an old dictionary I have, the word GOSSIP means (1) rumors & conjectures about others (2) person who originates or spreads these
Realizing the wrong I had done caused me to delve deeper into subjects such as love & forgiveness.
James 4: 1-4
(1) What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? (2) You desire but do not have so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. (3) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Two main things seem to be the crux of most of the drama in my family so I'm going to touch on those for a bit. The first is when one person mocks another, or a person perceives another person is mocking them, or making fun of them. Sometimes this is true & the person is making fun. Most times I don't think they mean to be hurtful. Other times, I believe people try to offer constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is simply criticism that is meant to be helpful or useful. Sometimes this hurts people's feelings. But if they looked past their hurt feelings, & LISTENED to what was being said, maybe they would learn something. HOWEVER, even constructive criticism can be taken too far. Some people aren't strong enough to hear any criticism, constructive or not. When that's the case, you should stop. If that means the person you are trying to help learns the hard way or never learns, then so be it. Or, if you are joking & just trying to be funny, if you are told you are hurting that person's feelings or it really bothers them, stop. Just stop.
The meaning for the word "mock" is: ridicule, imitate, mimic. In Proverbs 17:5, Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 9:12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you: if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
Psalms 1:1, Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,β¦β¦.
Jesus himself had words of constructive criticism & here are a couple of examples:
Luke 17:3 "If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. (4) Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent', you must forgive them."
Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. (2) For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you
Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
Proverbs 15:31, 32 (31) Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. (32) Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.
The flip side of this is holding grudges, not forgetting past wrongs or words, & holding on to past words & actions.
1 Corinthians 13:4-6
(4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (5) It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
What these verses are saying is that love does not keep an account of the wrong that is done to it. Resentment is writing down in the book of memory (i.e., remembering) all the wrongs that have been done to usβ¦.keeping track of them so that we might consult them sometime in the future for our own benefit. God's love is not resentful. It records no wrong for later reference. Love forgives. It may not always forget, but even when love remembers, it still forgives.
You cannot heal unless you do one of two things β REPENT or FORGIVE. Sometimes you have to do both. If for no other reason than for your own mental health & for you to be a better person. If someone wrongs you, they have their own path of repentance & forgiveness to follow. What they choose to do (or not do) should not matter what you do. And stop blame shifting!!!! Doing the whole "he said this so I said that & then he did this so I did that" does nothing but makes a never ending circle. Can you turn left AND right in a circle? No. You just go round & round.
REPENT: regret as wrong or mistaken
FORGIVE: regard without ill will despite an offense
FORGET: lose the memory of, or ignore
Acts 2:37-41
(37) When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (38) Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (39) The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off β for all whom the Lord our God will call." (40) With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." (41) Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
*****Here's the explanation for the above verses from the Jeremiah Study Bible:
Acts 2:38 β Repent means "to change one's mind or turn away from." More than just feeling bad, repentance requires a change of attitude β turning from trusting self to trusting Christ. Being baptized is an outward demonstration of the inward reality of Jesus Christ in a person's life. It isn't required for salvation but a requirement because of salvation.
Acts 2:39 β The beginning of the spread of the gospel to the Gentile world when Peter would soon be called to reach beyond Judaism.
Micah 3:12 Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, he temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.
This verse explained: Micah foretold that sinful Jerusalem would be destroyed. However, when Hezekiah repented, the Lord postponed this judgement (Jer. 26:17-19) & delivered from the Assyrian army. Many Old Testament prophecies of judgment were conditional &, in fact, designed to motivate repentance so that God could stay His judgment. Although God threatened punishment, it was the last thing He wanted to do!
Prophecies of judgment could be canceled or postponed & were on many occasions. However, if the people returned to their sin, they reactivated the judgement of the original prophecy.
Compassion is sympathy, especially with suffering or weakness. The word compassionate is the adjective for compassion. These 2 words are mentioned in the Bible over 60 times. Having compassion, being compassionate, goes hand in hand with everything I am writing about. To gossip, mock, or ridicule is forgetting compassion. Doing anything that hurts another person is forgetting your compassion for others. But I believe not repenting or not being repentant, not apologizing (& meaning it) & not righting the wrongs you've done, is also forgetting your compassion.
Psalm 77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?
Psalm 119:77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live for your law is my delight.
Colossians 3:12-14
(12) Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (13) Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (14) And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Ephesians 4:31, 32 (31) Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (32) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Having or showing compassion for others does not mean for you to allow them to take advantage of you, time after time after time. And now for forgiveness. Forgiving someone or asking for forgiveness shows strength, not weakness. Forgiveness doesn't mean you have to like the person (although we should love everyone), be around that person, or condone their words or actions.
In Matthew 18:21, when Peter asked Jesus, "How many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus then answers with The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant:
Matthew 18:22-35
(22) "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy seven times. (23) Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. (24) As he began the settlement, a man owed him ten thousand bags of gold* {Greek word is talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer's wages} was brought to him. (25) Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
(26) "At this the servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' (27) The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
(28) "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred silver coins {Greek word is denarii; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer}. 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. (31) When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
(32) "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. (33) Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'
(34) In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
(35) "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."
***Explaination according to The Jeremiah Study Bible of this parable:
Rabbinic tradition taught that a brother could be forgiven 3 times for the same offense, but not 4 times. Peter, trying to be a better-than-superior Law keeper, doubled that & added 1 β 7 times. He did not anticipate Jesus' response, which is not a congratulations but a correction. Whether the phrase should be rendered 0 times 7 or 77 is irrelevant; Jesus teaches us that believers in Christ have been forgiven far more than they will ever be asked to forgive. They must cultivate a spirit of forgiveness, not a habit of counting offenses.
God expects His children to take on His likeness. If they do not resemble Him in their willingness to forgive, they prove they are not His children (James 2:13). God is rich in mercy & grace, but He is also holy & just, so those who refuse to forgive should not imagine that God would welcome their unforgiving hearts into His kingdom.
