No Keeping Score – September 17, 2026

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260917dev.mp3

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Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Matthew 18:21-22

No Keeping Score

Three strikes and you’re out. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. We all have limits for how often we will allow someone to offend us. We can understand and forgive one offense. Maybe even two. But if someone offends or hurts us three times? That’s it.

So when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive a brother who sins against him, he thought he was being generous by offering to forgive seven times. Jesus had just been teaching his disciples about forgiveness. Peter thought his question showed the lesson was sinking in.

Jesus’ response showed Peter, and us, just how much we need to grow in our understanding of forgiveness. He turned Peter’s generous offer of seven into a fraction. “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Jesus wasn’t giving Peter a bigger number to keep track of. Imagine getting to offense number seventy-eight and saying, “Finally! Now I don’t have to forgive you.” Jesus’ point was the opposite: stop keeping score.

That is hard. When someone hurts us repeatedly, we remember. We keep a mental record. We can recall what they said, what they did, and how many times they have done it. Eventually, we decide they have used up their supply of forgiveness.

Thankfully, that isn’t how Jesus treats us. How many times have you committed the same sin? How many times have you lost your temper, spoken selfishly, entertained the same sinful thought, or