The Umbrella Analogy: Come In, Out of the Rain

"When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever" - Proverbs 10:25

Do you own an umbrella?

I would guess that most people do.

In fact, I would say that if you don't own an umbrella you aren't very wise. I say that only because odds are that one day it will be raining and you will need an umbrella to stay dry and comfortable.

Indeed, we all go to great lengths to ensure that we are comfortable in our lives don't we? We furnish our homes for the sake of comfort. We spend extra money on our cars for comfort. We ensure that our office chairs are comfortable. We pick out shoes for comfort. You get the idea; we are very concerned with comfort. That is why it makes sense that we all would own an umbrella, right?

Practical comforts are nice, in fact they can be very nice. However, I would like to challenge you today to consider if your eternity will be comfortable.

The Umbrella

Forgiveness: Is it Really Optional?

Pondering Scripture....

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 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 talents was brought to him. 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. "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 denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." - Matthew 18:21-35

Something to think about, eh?