Numbers 5:6-7: “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people—men or women—betray the Lord by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty.  They must confess their sin and make full restitution for what they have done, adding an additional 20 percent and returning it to the person who was wronged.

Matthew 5:23-26: “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.  When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.  And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.

Asking forgiveness is hard, but not as hard as paying back something owed due to my sin.  It seems we can find our way to apologize and ask for mercy.  But it is much harder to repay my obligations to those from whom a tangible property item has been taken or destroyed. 

Here is the redemption story of one man trying to do this very thing. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-aaron-tonken-20101022,0,5899566,full.story