(Matthew 6:9-15)
9 “Pray, then, in this way:‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’
14 For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.
TODAY'S TAKEAWAY
Confessing (sincerely apologizing with the intentions of change) and forgiving are both necessary in maintaining healthy relationships, with the Lord God, as well as with others. After all, the first step in reconciling with God to have a personal relationship with Him is to repent; to realize that we are sinners in need of saving. We need to understand that the Lord came in flesh in order to accomplish His work on the cross, to provide the way. He shed His blood to pay the price for our sins (past, present and future). When one does this, Jesus forgives all sins, and chooses to remember them no more.
While we cannot lose our salvation, once we are born again, we will still struggle with our sinful nature. But God still loves us! God will always love us! He is faithful and will never disown us! But because God is love, He will never force anyone to love Him back. And when we choose to love Him back, He will never force us to be obedient in His will. But if and when we purposefully sin, thinking it's okay because our salvation is secure, think again! Because God loves us, and desires to always continue in a close relationship of blessings, He will discipline us.
Since we have HIs Holy Spirit within us, when we sin, we quench His Spirit. When we quench His Spirit, He will convict our hearts to help us realize that what we are doing is not good for us (or others). The further we drift away, the more miserable we'll become. If and when we choose to live in sin and ignore the Lord, the more we will have to either harden our hearts - or - choose to return to the Lord because He has a much, much better way for us. After all, it is all about having a personal relationship with God! And the closer we grow to the Lord, the more we will experience His blessings.
Now regarding others! Because we love God, we will desire and strive to be obedient to His will. And, it is His will that we forgive others as He has forgiven us! No matter what someone has done to hurt us, it is beneficial to forgive them. This is not to say that what they did was okay, it is to "say" that you will not seek revenge. It is also to "say" that you will not let what they did change you for the worse. So, it isn't just for their benefit, it is for ours as well. If we do not forgive, then we will become angry, hateful and bitter, and even start to become the thing that we hate.
As well, if we have hurt anyone, it is beneficial to apologize to them (and the Lord), whether that person forgives us or not. Besides continuing to pray for those people, with both confessing and forgiving, we have done whatever we can to reconcile. God will see this and bless us in our obedience, and in this our hearts will experience His peace, and a continuing and maturing relationship with the Lord.
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