Clarence Billheimer Poet Rhyme

Forgiveness

FORGIVENESS

“How oft should I forgive him?”  a man asked Christ one day;
I’m sure he was surprised with what Jesus had to say.
He thought if he forgave him a few times he had done
More than could be expected from him or anyone.
And so he asked the Saviour about how many times,
“Should I forgive him seven?”  He thought that was so kind.
“Not only is it seven,” the Master did reply,
But seventy times seven,” and then He told him why.
He told a simple story about two men in debt;
One owed much to his master, the money could not get.
When he was called to pay it, he begged him to be fair;
The master just forgave him and canceled it all there.
But then that debtor went out to one who owed him, too,
A very small amount then, but he told him it was due.
This man, too, begged for patience, but wasn’t given aid;
Instead was cast to prison until his debt was paid.
And when the others learned it and told the man he owed,
He chided with his debtor and he was sternly told,
“In mercy I forgave you from such a large, large debt;
I knew you couldn’t pay it, the money never get.
So why did you not show that same mercy that I showed
To one in debt to you now for what little that he owed?”
When we would see the lesson that Jesus tried to teach
And how He in His mercy did to us sinners reach,
And how He so forgave us from all the debt we owe,
It gives us a great challenge that we forgiveness show.
Our sin debt was much greater than we could ever pay,
And when we cry, He cleanses and takes it all away.
If He could show us mercy for all that we have done,
But if we can’t show mercy in our lives to someone,
Then we don’t deserve forgiveness and for it we can’t pray,
Until we, too, are willing to forgive along our way.

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