Christ Insight

Based on: Matthew 18:21-35

Last week I said that Matthew Chapter 18 was a chapter about love and I still believe that is true.  The offer still stands, if you read in Matthew 18 and you have concerns about the connection between that chapter and love (after all the word “love” is not mentioned in this chapter), the then let's look at it together.  Last week we talked about how in love we as Christians will sometimes say tough things in order to call our brother or sister back to Christ so that he or she may receive Christ's forgiveness.  Today, as we continue reading in Matthew 18, we see that the forgiveness and love that God gives us motivates us to forgive others.  We will see the great difference there is between the debt that God has forgiven us and the debt that is owed to us by others, and by understanding that, we will see God's great mercy.

Based on: Luke 17:1-10

You have probably heard this statement before; "if you've had faith size of a mustard seed." Perhaps you've also thought, "If only I had a faith that could move mountains."  The first thing that comes to mind is that our faith has to be stronger or that I have to work harder at believing.  Some even try to connect good health or wealth to the size of one’s faith, but this isn't what Jesus is saying.  Jesus says if you have faith as “small” as a mustard seed, then you can move a mulberry tree.  Jesus is certainly telling us that we have power through our faith, but this power doesn't come from our faith.  This power comes from God.  Jesus describes one of the things we can do with his power – forgive.  We have power from God to forgive.