Tag: unforgiveness

The Workings of the Cross Set the Father’s Expectations for Our Ability to Forgive Others

Mark 11:25
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Nothing we do has value in the eyes of the Lord unless it has been put in proper order in our lives. The Heavenly Father must be our first consideration in all things. If there is anything or any person the comes before the Father, He will not hear our prayers.

This is why unforgiveness hurts us so much. When we come before the Father in prayer with anger, uncharitable feelings and unforgiveness toward another, He cannot grant us spiritual power. We have supplanted His place as The First by coming to Him with our grievances against another mixed in with our prayer offering.

These grievances must be set aside through the same perfect process of loving forgiveness that we receive from the wondrous workings of the Cross. Jesus died for the forgiveness of all men, not just certain ones that met His expectations.

God’s Holy Word makes it abundantly clear that the forgiveness of the Father is not possible if we are not first able to forgive those who have given us reason to feel injured by them. Truly we cannot be forgiven if we are not willing to forgive others.

Let us recognize and understand that our forgiveness must extend to all. Let us learn to love and forgive in the same unconditional manner that Jesus did and the Father does. Let us be ever so mindful that we must release all grievances against others before we go the Father in prayer.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your promise to hear our prayers when we come before You without claims against any other person. We praise the name of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to stand before You as righteous men and women, free from unforgiveness. We pray for the wisdom and strength to forgive others as You have forgiven us. May we humble ourselves and kneel at the Cross daily so that we may receive the grace that we need to remain worthy to receive Your mercy. We ask all these things in the name of our merciful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Receiving the Fullness of His Perfect Love

1 John 2:2
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

God so loved the world that He gave His Son to die for the sins of all of mankind. In this one act, we see the perfect love and the perfect forgiveness of both the Father and the Son. The advocacy of the Son is limited to believers, but the propitiation for sin extends as far and as wide and as deep as the evidence of sin in all people.

When we receive the Son, Jesus Christ, as Our Savior, we are receiving the fullness of His perfect love and forgiveness. We also receive the indwelling Holy Spirit who instills in us this perfect love and forgiveness to share with the world around us. As it is with the Father and the Son, we are to withhold love and forgiveness from no man.

With all the anger and bitterness that is spewed every day in our society, we should not withhold even the smallest portion of love and forgiveness from any man anywhere. Our ability to love and forgive under all circumstances is what marks us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Let us set aside the anger that the world stirs in us. Let us refuse to partner with the bitterness that our flesh demands. Let us live in the fullness of joy and peace that is only found through perfect love and forgiveness.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the unlimited flow of love and forgiveness that comes from Your Throne. We bless the name of Jesus for becoming sin for every man so that we all could receive the eternal gift of salvation. We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will guide us as we learn to become free flowing vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We ask for the grace to overcome all bitterness, anger and unforgiveness in our lives so that we may in no way hinder the provision of Your love to the world around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

The Essence of Reconciliation

Matthew 5:22
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus was absolutely crystal clear in defining His position about forgiving others. He taught that there is no leeway given for those who are unwilling to forgive. Whoever is angry with another without cause is in danger of judgement themselves.

We need to look to Jesus Christ when we consider whether we are justified to be angry with another. He is the essence of perfect love and forgiveness. Jesus’ anger was limited to those who took away from the glory of the Father. He set aside His anger and replaced it with love and forgiveness when any other lesser offense was involved, whether it be directed toward Him or not. His perfect standard is the same standard that we are all called to meet. When we fall short of this standard in our daily lives, we are commanded to right ourselves before we come to Him with our offerings and our prayers. Otherwise, our prayers will be ineffective.

Let us first recognize our shortcomings in reconciling our differences with others. Let us be quick to forgive and just as quick to ask for forgiveness. Let us share the perfect love and forgiveness of Jesus with the world around us as we grow as disciples of Jesus. Let us prepare to receive the fullness of His love and forgiveness in our own lives so that we may be worthy to bring our prayers and offerings to the Father.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the loving kindness, the mercy and the grace that You have shown us. We bless the name of Jesus who is the essence of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We pray, Father, that we may become instruments of Your good work and vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness. May the world know us by our ability to set aside our anger. We ask all these things in the name of Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord of Our Peace, Jesus Christ.

Without Forgiveness for Others We are Powerless

Mark 11:25
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Nothing we do has value in the eyes of the Lord unless it has been put in proper order in our lives. The Heavenly Father must be our first consideration in all things. If there is anything or any person the comes before the Father, He will not hear our prayers.

This is why unforgiveness hurts us so much. When we come before the Father in prayer with anger, uncharitable feelings and unforgiveness toward another, He cannot grant us spiritual power. We have supplanted His place as The First by coming to Him with our grievances against another mixed in with our prayer offering.

These grievances must be set aside through the same perfect process of loving forgiveness that we receive from the wondrous workings of the Cross. Jesus died for the forgiveness of all men, not just certain ones that met His expectations.

God’s Holy Word makes it abundantly clear that the forgiveness of the Father is not possible if we are not first able to forgive those who have given us reason to feel injured by them. Truly we cannot be forgiven if we are not willing to forgive others.

Let us recognize and understand that our forgiveness must extend to all. Let us learn to love and forgive in the same unconditional manner that Jesus did and the Father does. Let us be ever so mindful that we must release all grievances against others before we go the Father in prayer.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your promise to hear our prayers when we come before You without claims against any other person. We praise the name of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to stand before You as righteous men and women, free from unforgiveness. We pray for the wisdom and strength to forgive others as You have forgiven us. May we humble ourselves and kneel at the Cross daily so that we may receive the grace that we need to remain worthy to receive Your mercy. We ask all these things in the name of our merciful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Forgiving Others is not Optional

Mark 11:25
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Nothing we do has value in the eyes of the Lord unless it has been put in proper order in our lives. The Heavenly Father must be our first consideration in all things. If there is anything or any person the comes before the Father, He will not hear our prayers.

This is why unforgiveness hurts us so much. When we come before the Father in prayer with anger, uncharitable feelings and unforgiveness toward another, He cannot grant us spiritual power. We have supplanted His place as The First by coming to Him with our grievances against another mixed in with our prayer offering.

These grievances must be set aside through the same perfect process of loving forgiveness that we receive from the wondrous workings of the Cross. Jesus died for the forgiveness of all men, not just certain ones that met His expectations.

God’s Holy Word makes it abundantly clear that the forgiveness of the Father is not possible if we are not first able to forgive those who have given us reason to feel injured by them. Truly we cannot be forgiven if we are not willing to forgive others.

Let us recognize and understand that our forgiveness must extend to all. Let us learn to love and forgive in the same unconditional manner that Jesus did and the Father does. Let us be ever so mindful that we must release all grievances against others before we go the Father in prayer.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your promise to hear our prayers when we come before You without claims against any other person. We praise the name of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to stand before You as righteous men and women, free from unforgiveness. We pray for the wisdom and strength to forgive others as You have forgiven us. May we humble ourselves and kneel at the Cross daily so that we may receive the grace that we need to remain worthy to receive Your mercy. We ask all these things in the name of our merciful Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Price of Judging Others

Matthew 7:2
For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

One of the biggest flaws in humanity is the desire to proclaim judgment on one another. It is part of our human nature. When we combine the desire to proclaim judgment on others with the fact that we are all so tragically flawed by sin, the opportunity for judging others becomes readily and abundantly available. This has led us as a society to be cruelly judgmental of all the people that we find in our lives.

Jesus knew that we would struggle in this area. Thus He provided us with a stern warning about judging others. He wanted us to recognize that we are not qualified to judge, only He is. Even more so, He wanted us to understand that in judging others we put ourselves in a position to pay an enormous price. In addition to the potential of ruining other people’s lives because of our judgmental nature, we also risk the following for ourselves:

  • If we practice a critical spirit, we are likely to steal our own joy and peace.
  • If we assume God’s authority to judge, we place ourselves under greater scrutiny.
  • If we include malice in our judgement, we pollute our own hearts.
  • If we plant seeds of unforgiveness and condemnation, we become vulnerable to hatred.

Almighty God, through the sacrifice of His Son, chose to see us all as holy and blameless. He gives us the freedom to choose to see others as He sees them. He calls us to:

  • Forgive others as we let Christ’s peace rule in our hearts.
  • Comfort others as we manifest the mercy of the Father.
  • Honor others above ourselves as we imitate the humility of Our Savior.
  • Encourage others as we share in the treasures of Jesus Christ
  • Love others as we let the perfect love of God flow through us.

Let us love God above all things, relying on Him as the Judge over all. Let us love our neighbors as ourselves, choosing to live in the Spirit of Jesus Christ and not in the spirit of the world.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that our sins have been forgiven and washed away by the sacrificial blood of Your Son. We praise You for the mercy that You have extended to us through Your Son. We pray that You will shield us from the desire to judge others when You have kept judgment for Yourself. May we not seek to find sin in the lives of others, but only seek to help others find the forgiveness that is in the name of Jesus. May we all live our lives as vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We ask all these things in the name of the Judge of the Living and the Dead, Jesus Christ.

The Ability to Love and Forgive

1 John 2:2
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

God so loved the world that He gave His Son to die for the sins of all of mankind. In this one act, we see the perfect love and the perfect forgiveness of both the Father and the Son. The advocacy of the Son is limited to believers, but the propitiation for sin extends as far and as wide and as deep as the evidence of sin in all people.

When we receive the Son, Jesus Christ, as Our Savior, we are receiving the fullness of His perfect love and forgiveness. We also receive the indwelling Holy Spirit who instills in us this perfect love and forgiveness to share with the world around us. As it is with the Father and the Son, we are to withhold love and forgiveness from no man.

With all the anger and bitterness that is spewed every day in our society, we should not withhold even the smallest portion of love and forgiveness from any man anywhere. Our ability to love and forgive under all circumstances is what marks us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Let us set aside the anger that the world stirs in us. Let us refuse to partner with the bitterness that our flesh demands. Let us live in the fullness of joy and peace that is only found through perfect love and forgiveness.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the unlimited flow of love and forgiveness that comes from Your Throne. We bless the name of Jesus for becoming sin for every man so that we all could receive the eternal gift of salvation. We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will guide us as we learn to become free flowing vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We ask for the grace to overcome all bitterness, anger and unforgiveness in our lives so that we may in no way hinder the provision of Your love to the world around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.