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How do you react when some one has done you wrong? Depending upon how hurtful the wrong is, in my mind, my reaction could vary from shrugged shoulders to outrage! Here is a story that demonstrates my point. Let's say your at church fellowship dinner and a member of the church comes up to you and says, “I told a lie about you and I am really feel bad about it, will you please forgive me?” Being a forgiving Christian you say, “thanks for asking forgiveness, I really appreciate that, don't worry about it brother, I forgive you!” You go one about your business as if nothing ever happened. Then 15 minutes later this same person comes up to you again and says, “ I did it again, I just told a lie about you, please forgive me.” This time your a little bit confused about why your fellow church member could so easily and quickly could have done this again, but they seem sincere enough so you once again you say, “your forgiven,” but this time your answer is short and to the point. Another short period of time later this same person comes to you again and once again it is the same story, “I told a lie about you and I am really feel bad about it, will you please forgive me?” This time your answer is a bit sharp and you respond with anger in your voice and say, “You better get your mouth under control brother, because I don't know how many more times I can forgive you like this!” With your response you elevate yourself to Judge and Jury and you're ready hand down a stiff sentence of guilty, you quickly turn your back on this person and walk away thinking to yourself, “Wow!” how can you have so little self control over your tongue and still call yourself a Christian? So how often should you forgive your brother in Christ? Peter asked this same question of Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Matthew 18:22 NIV Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

 Jewish tradition stated that the teachers of the law limited the number of times one should forgive another person to three. Peter thinking that he was in line with Christ’s teachings on the Sermon on the Mount, doubled their amount of 3 times, then added 1 more time just for good measure. The truth is that forgiveness is not a matter of counting times, but an attitude of the heart. It is clear that the number itself is only symbolic. If the spirit of forgiveness moves the heart, a person will be as ready to forgive many times. I am so thankful that my wife has a forgiving heart because it is quite possible that if Jesus meant 70 times 7 as a literal number I may have exceeded even that number. Jesus told a parable to further demonstrate how we should forgive a brother in Christ. Jesus said: “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and children and all that he owned be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.” When the Master heard of it, he said, “‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn't you not also hav

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