BIBLE PASSAGE:
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
(Matthew 6:12)
MEDITATION:
If you were near the end of your journey on earth,
what message would you want to pass on to others?
Would you want to tell them to always love God, and love others?
Jesus said those are the top two commands from God.
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this:
‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
(Mark 12:29-31)
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul reminds them of the
importance of the second most important command from God.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interests but each of you
to the interests of the others.
(Philippians 2:3-4)
Certainly those two commands would be valuable reminders
for others. Jesus emphasized their importance during His time
on earth; it was an integral part of His ‘good news’ message to
mankind. But what message did Jesus pass on to us at the end
of His earthly journey? From the cross, we can see at least three
important messages from the Lord.
First of all He reminds us of the wonderful reward awaiting
those who believe in Him and are willing to surrender their
lives to the control of the Holy Spirit. Look at what He told
the thief on the cross when he expressed his belief in Jesus.
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you
come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him,
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
(Luke 13:42-43)
Secondly, He reminds us of the agony we can experience
whenever it seems our Heavenly Father is far away from
us. God never moves, so whenever we feel there is a great
distance between Him and us, it is because we have moved.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until
three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon
Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema
sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?”).
(Mark 15:33-34)
And lastly, He reminds us of the importance of forgiveness.
When He prayed that our Heavenly Father would forgive
those who were persecuting and abusing Him, it meant
Jesus had already forgiven them.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not
know what they are doing.” And they divided up
his clothes by casting lots.
(Luke 23:34)
How many times have you heard (or maybe said yourself),
“I can never forgive someone for what they have done to me”?
We should ask ourselves, at what point did the Lord say
He would never forgive us? Whenever we refuse to forgive
someone for what they have said or done to us, we are
‘looking to our own interests’ and not ‘to the interest of others’
as we are instructed in God’s Word.
It sounds a little like too much pride, doesn’t it?
“How dare them to do or say that to me!”
What was the message Jesus conveyed on the cross?
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
ACTION:
Sometimes people unknowingly hurt us and damage our pride.
They may not realize the magnitude of how their words or
actions impact our personal feelings. And if they do, there
is a good chance they already feel bad about themselves.
However, we have to remember that we too have probably
said or done some things that have offended or hurt others.
How would we feel if someone refused to forgive us of our
mistakes? Jesus told us to,
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
(Luke 6:31)
In His example of how we should pray, Jesus made it clear
that we make mistakes too. He told us to forgive others for
their mistakes, so that our Heavenly Father would forgive
us of our mistakes.
None of us are perfect and we live in an imperfect world,
but forgiveness can help to avoid adding to the problems
we experience. It means that we learn to absorb, rather
than reflecting back what we have received.
When we think about how much we have done to offend the
Lord, and how He has forgiven us, it should create a humility
in us that gives us with the capability and desire to show restraint
whenever we have been hurt or offended by others.
We should pray and ask God to help us forgive others as He
has forgiven us. His forgiveness is genuine and not just some
meaningless words. Some say that have forgiven others, but
their words betray what they say they are feeling in their
heart and mind.
When we fail to forgive, it could be an indication that we
feel we are better that others and we are ‘mistake free’.
God’s Word says.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”
(Matthew 7:1)
God is the only one qualified to judge the heart and intent
of others because He sees what we cannot see. Maybe you
have failed to forgive someone and God is speaking to you
through ‘His’ message today
(I sincerely believe He provides the content for these devotionals).
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for not forgiving others
as You have forgiven me. Help me to overcome my
selfishness and self-centeredness so that I can develop
a more forgiving attitude. I am truly sorry for the
things I have done which displease and offend You.
Thank You for Your forgiveness of my mistakes. I
shudder when I think about how miserable my life
would be without Your forgiveness. Help me to realize
how miserable I can make others feel whenever I refuse
to forgive them.”
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