Matthew 18:23-35. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who forgives his servant a massive debt, only to have the servant go and demand repayment of a much smaller debt from a fellow servant. When the king is told about this he calls the debtor back to him, rescinds his forgiveness, and throws the debtor in jail until the debt is paid in full. God will do the same to us if we do not forgive others from the heart.

Saying the words "I forgive you" is easy (well, not always, to be honest:), but forgiving from the heart- truly letting go of the entire debt and letting the person who has hurt us go free in our hearts - that is very, very difficult. I often think I have forgiven someone, but then later realize I am still harboring some of the pain and that keeps me from loving them as I should. God forgives my debt entirely - and I have a very large debt to him - but he asks me to do the same.

When I meet God face to face, I do not want to feel him holding anything back, turning my sins over in his head and holding them against me - I want to be forgiven and loved entirely. If I want that from God, I have to learn to give that to other people.