The Word of God for wisdom:
Proverbs 17:9 (HCSB)
Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends.
The Word of God for inspiration:
Psalm 30:1-3 (HCSB)
1 I will exalt You, Lord, because You have lifted me up and have not allowed my enemies to triumph over me. 2 Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me. 3 Lord, You brought me up from Sheol; You spared me from among those going down to the Pit.
The Word of God for encouragement:
Matthew 6:14-15 (HCSB)
14 "For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.
My observation:
Before moving from the model prayer, we look today at these additional words that Jesus said about forgiveness. Jesus started this instruction on prayer by stressing the importance of putting the concerns of God first when we pray.
Matthew 6:10 (HCSB)
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus completes this teaching on prayer by putting the emphasis on forgiving others. Notice, however, that Jesus is not saying that God forgives sinners on the basis of how we forgive others. God forgives sinners on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross.
Ephesians 4:32 (HCSB)
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
The point Jesus is making to his disciples is that in order to have an effective, personal, and intimate relationship and fellowship with God, we must have a heart that is willing to forgive others. If we are going to be sincere in our prayer life, then we must mean it when we pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Our Father in heaven forgives sinners, and so should we forgive others.
My prayer:
Father God, my dear Father, I am so thankful that I am a forgiven child of God. Father, I thank you for this firm warning from Jesus about the importance of God's children being willing to forgive others as they have been forgiven. Father, help me to never forget how much you have forgiven me in Christ Jesus my Savior, and the Lord of my life. Father, give me a kind and compassionate heart that loves and forgives others because I have been loved and forgiven by God.
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2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
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