The Lord's Prayer, Pt. 4

In Jesus' Model Prayer, He commands us to pray about forgiveness. He tells
us that we are to ask the Father for forgiveness, and we are to forgive others.

The Lord's Prayer, Pt. 4

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

(Matthew 6:12)

While eating dinner with Damon West, author of the bestseller, The Change Agent, he made an insightful comment that I am still thinking about. He said, "Every addiction is rooted in resentment." There were about a dozen of us having dinner together, and he kept us on the edge of our seats describing what it was like to live seven years in prison. His addiction to meth cost him far more than he could have imagined. I agree with his quote. When someone has a resentment toward another person, one of two things will happen. The first is by far the best choice, and that is the path of forgiveness. The second choice always leads down a disastrous path, and that is the road of resentment. Resentment will lead to bitterness, unforgiveness, entitlement, and harmful behavior.

In Jesus' powerful Model Prayer, He commands us to pray about forgiveness. He tells us that we are to ask the Father for forgiveness, and we are to forgive others. This one verse packs a powerful spiritual punch. We all stand in need of being forgiven by God. We have all sinned against Him and are guilty. Romans 3:23 states it very clearly: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." But that is not all. We are to extend that same grace of pardon that we have received from God to the one that has offended or hurt us. To not forgive will cost us far more than to forgive. Holding a grudge and choosing not to forgive is like drinking poison and thinking the other person will die.

You may push back and say you could never forgive and forget what has happened to you. Nowhere in the Bible does it say you have to forget what happened to you, but you and I are commanded that we must forgive. I highly recommend Lysa TerKeurst's excellent book, Forgiving What You Can't Forget. She will provide you much help and encouragement and guide you along the path of healing which is found only in receiving the forgiveness of God and extending that same grace of pardon to those who offend you.

Podcast of the Week

Good News is for Sharing

Pastor Danny takes this episode to provide specific encouragement on going out of our way to be friendly to people, serve them, and share the Gospel with them. We hope the stories he shares in this episode will inspire you to get out there and actively share Christ's love with new people.

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