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Speaker 1: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched

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Speaker 1: something new. It's called The Good Word, our free weekly

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Speaker 1: newsletter built for people who want to go a little

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Speaker 1: deeper in their faith. Thank devotionals, guided prayers, curated podcast recommendations,

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Speaker 1: and a little community all in one place. No ads,

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Speaker 1: just good content. This one means a lot to us.

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Speaker 1: We built The Good Word based on the audience survey

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Speaker 1: so many of you filled out a few months back.

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Speaker 1: You told us what you wanted and we listened. So

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Speaker 1: thank you truly for helping us shape this. Head to

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Speaker 1: the link in the show notes and join our community today.

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Speaker 1: We'd love to have.

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Speaker 2: You Life Audio.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to your Nightly Scripture, a calming

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Speaker 3: scripture center devotional podcast designed to help you end each

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Speaker 3: day with God's word in your mind your heart. Right

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Speaker 3: after the short word from our sponsors, we will reflect

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Speaker 3: on tonight's scripture from Matthew chapter eighteen. Tonight's reflection is

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Speaker 3: written and read by Kyle Norman Matthew chapter eighteen. At

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Speaker 3: that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, who

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Speaker 3: then is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. He

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Speaker 3: called a little child to him and placed the child

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Speaker 3: among them, And he said, truly, I tell you, unless

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Speaker 3: you change and become like the little children, you will

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Speaker 3: never enter the Kingdom of heaven. Therefore, who overtakes the

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Speaker 3: lowly position of this child is the greatest in the

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Speaker 3: Kingdom of Heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in

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Speaker 3: my name, welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these

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Speaker 3: little ones, those who believe in me to stumble, it

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Speaker 3: would be better for them to have a large mealstone

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Speaker 3: hung around their neck and to be drowned in the

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Speaker 3: depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of

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Speaker 3: the things that cause people to stumble. Such things must come,

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Speaker 3: but woe to the person through whom they come. If

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Speaker 3: your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut

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Speaker 3: it off and throw it away. It is better for

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Speaker 3: you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have

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Speaker 3: two hands or two feet and to be thrown into

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Speaker 3: the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble,

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Speaker 3: gouge it out and throw it away, it is better

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Speaker 3: for you to enter life with one eye than to

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Speaker 3: have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

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Speaker 3: See that you did not despise one of these little ones,

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Speaker 3: for I tell you that their angels in heaven always

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Speaker 3: see the face of my Father in heaven. What do

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Speaker 3: you think if a man owns a hundred sheep and

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Speaker 3: one of them wanders away, will they not leave the

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Speaker 3: ninety nine on the hills and go to look for

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Speaker 3: the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, Truly,

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Speaker 3: I tell you he is happier about that one sheep

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Speaker 3: than about the ninety nine that did not need to

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Speaker 3: wander off. In the same way, your father in heaven

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Speaker 3: is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

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Speaker 3: If your brother or sister sins go and point out

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Speaker 3: their fault just between the two of you, if they

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Speaker 3: listen to you, you've won them over. But if they

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Speaker 3: will not listen, take one or two others along, so

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Speaker 3: that every matter may be established by by the testimony

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Speaker 3: two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen,

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Speaker 3: tell it to the church. And if they refuse to

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Speaker 3: listen even to the Church, treat them as you would

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Speaker 3: a pagan or a task collector. Truly, I tell you,

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Speaker 3: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,

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Speaker 3: And whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in

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Speaker 3: heaven again. Truly, I tell you, if two of you

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Speaker 3: on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will

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Speaker 3: be done for them by my Father in heaven. For

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Speaker 3: where two or three are gathered in my name, there

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Speaker 3: I am with them. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord,

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Speaker 3: how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister

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Speaker 3: who sends against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered,

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Speaker 3: I tell you not seven times, but seventy seven times. Therefore,

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Speaker 3: the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted

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Speaker 3: to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement,

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Speaker 3: a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold

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Speaker 3: was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay,

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Speaker 3: the master ordered that he and his wife, and his children,

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Speaker 3: and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

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Speaker 3: At this, the servant fell on his knees before him.

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Speaker 3: Be patient with me, he begged, and I will pay

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Speaker 3: back everything the servants. Master took pity on him, cancel

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Speaker 3: the debt and let him go. But when the servant

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Speaker 3: went out, he found one of his fellow servants who

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Speaker 3: owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and

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Speaker 3: began to choke him. Pay back what you owe me,

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Speaker 3: he demanded. His fellow servants fell on his knees and

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Speaker 3: begged him be patient with me and I will pay

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Speaker 3: it back, but he refused. Instead, he went off and

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Speaker 3: had the man thrown into prison until he could pay

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Speaker 3: the debt. When the other servants saw what it happened,

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Speaker 3: they were outraged and went and told their master everything

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Speaker 3: that happened. Then the master called in the servant, You

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Speaker 3: wicked servant, He said, I canceled all the debt of

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Speaker 3: you because you begged me. You've had mercy on your

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Speaker 3: fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you. In anger,

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Speaker 3: his master ended him over to the jailers to be

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Speaker 3: tortured until he should pay back all he owed. This

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Speaker 3: is how my heavenly father will treat you unless you

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Speaker 3: forgive your brother or sister from your heart. C. S.

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Speaker 3: Lewis once wrote, for everyone says that forgiveness is a

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Speaker 3: lovely idea until they have something to forgive. Forgiveness can

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Speaker 3: be challenging because it naturally pushes us past what is comfortable.

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Speaker 3: When we are hurt or offended, we may decide that

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Speaker 3: we don't want to forgive the person. We may even

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Speaker 3: say that they don't deserve it. Perhaps this is why

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Speaker 3: Peter asks how many times should we forgive? Forgiveness after all,

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Speaker 3: doesn't make a lot of earthly sense. How often have

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Speaker 3: we asked that same question? How many times should I forgive?

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Speaker 3: Is there a moment when we can legitimately not forgive someone?

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Speaker 3: Is there ever a time when someone works their way

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Speaker 3: out of this grace? Response that Jesus gives to this

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Speaker 3: question undercuts the belief that forgiveness is somehow calculable or limited.

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Speaker 3: Jesus says to Peter and to us that forgiveness isn't

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Speaker 3: based on the size of or the number of faults.

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Speaker 3: In fact, forgiveness isn't based in ourselves at all. It

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Speaker 3: is rooted in the merciful love of God. The basis

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Speaker 3: of our forgiveness of others, no matter how challenging that

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Speaker 3: might be to us, is Jesus forgiveness of our sins.

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Speaker 3: And happily, Jesus didn't stop forgiving us after one infraction.

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Speaker 3: He didn't refuse to forgive after three times, or seven

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Speaker 3: instances or seventy seven sins. Jesus forgiveness of Us is

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Speaker 3: endless because his heart of compassionate grace is endless. As

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Speaker 3: you turn to rest this night, ask yourself, is there

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Speaker 3: someone that you were called to forgive? And that could

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Speaker 3: be even yourself? If forgiveness is a challenge for you

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Speaker 3: day that you haven't been able to get over, and

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Speaker 3: start by opening yourself, do for the forgiveness that Jesus

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Speaker 3: offers you. Allow his forgiveness, that free forgiveness that is

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Speaker 3: so extravagant that it might sound ridiculous. Allow it to

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Speaker 3: come in and wash over you. And then, when you

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Speaker 3: have fully accepted that forgiveness, turn it outward. Jesus, I

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Speaker 3: praise you for the forgiveness that blankets me this night.

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Speaker 3: As I rest my body, I know that I rest

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Speaker 3: my soul in your grace. I claim your promise that

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Speaker 3: there is nothing in my life that will ever overcome

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Speaker 3: your desire to redeem me, to bless me, and to

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Speaker 3: forgive me. I know there have been times and I've

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Speaker 3: been tempted to count the number of chances that people get.

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Speaker 3: I've even been tempted to see another person, and it's

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Speaker 3: undeserving of the gifts that you so freely give me. Lord,

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Speaker 3: give me the boldness to choose forgiveness when it challenges me.

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Speaker 3: For when I choose forgiveness, I choose you. I pray

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Speaker 3: this in Jesus's name. Amen. How did Tonight's scripture speak

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Speaker 3: to you? Share your thoughts in the Your Nightly Scripture

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Speaker 3: Forum discussion.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to Your Nightly Scripture. Tonight's scripture

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Speaker 2: was read from the New International Version by Biblica. All

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Speaker 2: rights reserved. If Tonight's episode blessed you, be sure to

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Speaker 2: follow the show on Apple Podcasts so your next Nightly

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Speaker 2: Scripture is ready when you are. Your Nightly Scripture is

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Speaker 2: a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. Thank you

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Speaker 2: and we'll see you tomorrow. Night