Matthew 6:9-15 Phillips Pray then like this—‘Our Heavenly Father, may Your name be honoured; May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day the bread we need, Forgive us what we owe to You, as we have also forgiven those who owe anything to us. Keep us clear of temptation, and save us from evil’.” 14-15 “For if you forgive other people their failures, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you will not forgive other people, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you your failures.”
Colossians 3:12-14 Phillips As, therefore, God’s picked representatives of the new humanity, purified and beloved of God himself, be merciful in action, kindly in heart, humble in mind. Accept life, and be most patient and tolerant with one another, always ready to forgive if you have a difference with anyone. Forgive as freely as the Lord has forgiven you. And, above everything else, be truly loving, for love is the golden chain of all the virtues.
Observation
I note that the importance, even necessity, of walking in forgiveness keeps coming up in the Gospels. We pray the Lord’s prayer but neglect to include the next 2 verses. In the Lord’s prayer, we ask to be forgiven as we have forgiven others. Verses 14-15 give us the consequences for being unforgiving. We will get what we give. Our Father has been amazingly merciful, generous and charitable in forgiving us. He asks only that we imitate Him with others who may or may not deserve the same grace and mercy. This is the journey He has called us to undertake.
However, this is not always the easiest road to travel. Unforgiveness is more than a rock in the road; it can be the unstable and crumbling cliffs alongside the road that will bury your soul in bitterness, anger, hatred, revenge. Jesus told us that this world would have trouble. He also told us that He has overcome the world – if we will abide in Him and walk with Him, obeying His word. He did not guarantee that serving Heaven would be easy or that people would understand or accept what we do in His name for love. He promised to go with us wherever the journey takes us and be with us whatever comes.
Impact on Me
“May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There is no unforgiveness in Heaven, no grudges, no sickness, no sorrow, no pain. In submitting to Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I became a citizen of Heaven assigned to the location in which I live and have influence. I am called to represent Heaven and all it has to offer, to invite others to transfer their allegiance from the things of this world, and to commit to live by, support and defend Heaven’s values.
“Forgive as freely as the Lord has forgiven you.” This is about anyone (and everyone). On the Cross, Jesus asked the Father to forgive “them” for they did not understand what they were doing. For me, “them” encompasses the religious leaders who plotted His murder, the crowds that yelled “crucify”, and the Romans who mocked, whipped and nailed Him to the Cross. Yet, Jesus came to die for them and all who would follow. So, “them” for me must include those who mock, insult, disrespect and otherwise crucify me. I am not there yet, but I truly want to get there, where love overflows and freely forgives the hurt, the pride, the “what about my rights!”, the need to even the score. Satan can only hurt me where I give him a foothold. Free and abundant forgiveness removes that one.
Devotion
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God of Mercy and Grace, Redeemer, Light to my path, I stand in awe of You. What depth, width, height of love You expressed by the Cross which opened the gates of Heaven for us all. I want to walk out my life in that kind of love, freely forgiving as I have been forgiven. Stop me when my soulish pride wants to be unforgiving. I want to be an instrument in Your Hand to bring redemption, not carving out a foothold in myself or another for the devil to take advantage. May my life bring glory to You in all I do. I ask it all in the name of Jesus. Make it so.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 