Stop Keeping Score and Start Losing Count

Good morning. My name is Michael Spencer, and welcome to day eight of the 21 day devotional, Restart Your Heart, with the Pentecostals of Murfreesboro. I'm glad that you could join us as we go through this devotional. Each day someone new will walk through one day of the devotional. I encourage you to go back and catch up on the previous days if you have not already.

Today's title: "Stop Keeping Score and Start Losing Count." Our scripture, Matthew 18, verses 21 and 22, from the New King James Version: "Then Peter came to him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'"

I remember growing up in a house with two brothers, and you quickly learned how to keep score. "You wrote in the front seat last time; it's my turn this time." "You picked up two cereals we have to eat last week, so it's my turn now." Or, "You get to clean the bathroom; I've had to do it the last two weeks." We learned quickly how to keep score, even as little children. Or, you know, "Why does that always get to clean out the bowl of ice, and I only get to lick the mixing beaters?" But the hand truth of that question is, that was a dad tax. He bought the groceries, so he got the bowl.

The reality is those — we take a test every day in the school of life. Each day we face challenges and difficulties, and sometimes hurts come our way. And the offenses and the hurts that come multiple times seem to always carry about it for me — your face, it seems that they reoccur over and over with the same few folks. And we sometimes get frustrated, and have a gift for coffee forgiving those people. But yet we put on our best smile and we pretend that we've forgiven them when we see the person, but our mind keeps running that tally over: "Well, I'll remember this," or "I remember that." Each and every pain that they've caused us in our life, we — we look at them and we see those things that reoccur and kind of scroll through our mind. That's our human nature.

But each of us are called to a higher calling. Each of us have a higher purpose. We, as followers of Christ, are commanded to forgive. Matthew 5, verses 43 through 45: "So you've heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

When you think that forgiveness is just too hard and you've reached your limit, remember that God is the one who sets those limits. He sets the limit on forgiveness, and he forgave me. How much and how many times? God doesn't remember. God does not keep score. We're asked to reflect him through our daily life. We should reflect him. So why should we keep score in our own life? We must forgive. We've got to cancel the score. We got to stop counting the offenses. Faster mention that yesterday in his message: if we're not willing to forgive, and God will not forgive us.

Talk about keeping score — we all face those hurts in our life, and those times that is difficult to forgive. We may never understand why those offenses come our way, or get answers to some of the questions and the hurts that we face. We all have those moments where we say, "Well, when I get to heaven, I'm going to ask you out a few questions." Of what if God returned, says, "I have a few questions to ask you"? Suddenly my questions are insignificant in my situation that I must forgive becomes a whole lot easier.

God forgives and he forgets, and for that I'm so thankful for. But we must do the same as well in our own life. We make clear the score from time to time, and we may feel like, "Well, that's good enough. I've cleared your score, but I'm gonna watch them." But God saying we must truly forgive and forget. God saying, if you can really forgive them, then just simply turn off the scoreboard and walk away. Stop counting the offenses.

When you think you can't forgive, "I can also heal that too." In our devotion, it talks about asking God to — for he to heal our forgiver. Sometimes we seem to let those things accumulate, and we say, "I just cannot do it." But through God it can be done. You can forgive. And the way to know that you've truly forgiven an individual is when you can go to prayer and you begin to pray for those repeat offenders in your life, and you pray the blessings of God in their life. And then you truly rejoice when their life is blessed.

Let's pray today. God, we thank you, Lord, for your ability, God, that you placed inside of us, God's forgive, even those times when it seems so difficult, God, and we feel like maybe they're even intentionally hurting us in these situations. But God, is not for us to keep score, to keep a count. But God, we want to reflect you in her life, and continually, daily, forgive those offenses. God, help us, Jesus. Give us the strength in God if we've got those times that we just cannot forgive, God, we ask you to heal us in those moments and those situations. God, we ask you to touch, Lord. Be with us today. Leading, goddess, we thank you, Lord, for this day. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Well, thank you for joining me on day eight, "Stop Keeping Score and Start Losing Count." Take time today to read the devotional for yourself if you haven't already. Join us again tomorrow morning, life, for day number nine at 7:00 a.m., as we discuss "The Best Brought Out by the Worst."