WHEN YOU PRAY, FORGIVE!

WHEN YOU PRAY, FORGIVE!

Mark 11:25-26

25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

I’m toast! It’s hopeless! I don’t think I can forgive like Jesus forgave. He is, after all, the Champion forgiver. Oh, how I have hurt him and yet he forgave and continues to forgive me. I just don’t seem to be able to forgive like Jesus.

After a hurt, new rules are constructed in my mind regarding the offending party. The old rules of trust have been broken and if there is to be a relationship there must be new rules! Trust which I thought was unconditional has always rested on the condition that you would never hurt me. Now, after the hurt, I will restore you to fellowship only on the condition that you never hurt me again. I am so glad that Jesus does not function the same way with me!

How can we forgive like Jesus forgave? Wycliffe says: The point here is that a disciple cannot pray effectively if an unforgiving spirit has broken his fellowship with God. I would suppose that the first prayer of ANY prayer must be a prayer asking for cleansing from an unforgiving spirit. Each time we pray it is a reminder not only of Jesus’ forgiveness of our sins but of our need to extend the same courtesy to those who have wronged us.

I find that the portions of Scripture that really bother me must also trouble the “scholars” because there is not much definitive information on Mark 11:25 & 26. I am left to the clear teaching of Scripture. God has forgiven me and He does not take kindly to my withholding forgiveness from others. The problem is that I’m not Jesus. I need forgiveness even for my unforgiving spirit.

Col 3:12-13

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Dear Lord, please forgive my unforgiving spirit. Put your very own Spirit in me. AMEN