“Forgive So That You May Be Forgiven!”

“Forgive So That You May Be Forgiven!”
While teaching on prayer Jesus said prayer should not be a public demonstration that seeks the reward of men. He then gave a model prayer which has come to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer.”
From the Lord’s prayer let us focus on the verse, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We focus on this verse because after the prayer Jesus concluded, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”(Mt.6:9-15).
The debts in the verse is moral debts – sins. We cannot expect from God what we are not ready to offer to others. God is a God of justice. He is an impartial Judge who treats us with the same measure we treat others. Yesterday we read how David forgave Saul and hoped that the Lord will treat him the same way and save him from trouble.
Forgiveness is divine. We constantly sin against others; knowingly or unknowingly. And if we expect forgiveness from those we sin against, we too should readily forgive those who sin agsinst us.
In this life we attract what we radiate. We receive as we give. You may understand why God often ignores prayers. When the heart is full of unforgiveness, then no prayer emanating from such a heart can be answered in heaven. Our destinies are often tied to those we tie in our hearts and refuse to forgive. When we untie them by forgiving them, the Lord also responds positively to our own requests for forgiveness. This is well illustrated in one of the episodes of the Tom and Jerry cartoons. In this episode Tom died and was destined for heaven. But when he knocked at the gate of heaven, they checked his records and asked him to first return to earth and forgive Jerry.
Dear friend, forgiveness is divine. It carries with itself serenity of mind of the forgiver. Forgive that you may be forgiven!
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ thank you for becoming the Lamb of forgiveness. Help me to have a forgiving heart always. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev. Babila Fochang.