Power to Forgive:
Forgiven and Forgiving
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:5-15
Key Verse: Matthew 6:12
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Jesus taught us to pray and I’m always amazed at how many Christ followers pay little attention to His model prayer. I use it as my outline for prayer. This prayer keeps us from praying the popular “give me” prayers to which we are prone. I’ve always been taken aback by the comments Jesus made after this model prayer. The prayer covers some very weighty and sacred topics such as our Father in heaven’s hallowed name. But Jesus chose not to comment on this or the other important aspects of the prayer. He zeros in on the subject of forgiveness in His model prayer.
In my opinion Jesus is trying to get us to live out the title of this devotional: Forgiven and Forgiving. Freely we receive forgiveness from our heavenly Father; freely give it to others! Generously our father continues to forgive us—over and over—for our repeated offenses. Generously, we should forgive people around us who repeatedly offend us.
Our world would change dramatically and immediately if everyone would simply practice this one principle of God’s kingdom: Receive forgiveness and give forgiveness. This principle will change your marriage and your relationship with your children. This principle will change every relationship you have. Be forgiven…Be forgiving!
Father, I praise you for freely and generously forgiving me. I will pass this on to those who offend me today! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.