Jesus Prays by James Tissot
Forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness, extending forgiveness to others. It isn’t easy. In this devotional, we are focusing on what Jesus himself says about forgiveness through various gospel passages.
MATTHEW 6:9-15 (NIV) “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
Focus – Verses 14 and 15
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
These words are said by Jesus after he teaches his disciples how to pray. The ‘Our Father’ is a prayer that is well known to us and may be frequently used. However, when we say it, are we realizing how profound it is? We are making an appeal. We are appealing that God forgives our sins in the measure that we forgive others. We cannot be holding onto resentment and then ask God to be forgiving to us. That is hypocritical.
Dear LORD, rather than just merely reciting your prayer, help us to live by the words of the ‘Our Father’ prayer you taught us. Amen.