Mark 11-25-26
And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When I taught kindergarten, I had to occasionally tell a student, “We don’t say that,” or “We don’t do that. It is rude… or unkind… or disrespectful.” More often than I care to admit, the child replied, “But my mom/dad/someone else does it!” If ever there was an emphasis on the point that people are watching – and noticing – this is it! So when we represent Jesus to others… we had better be very certain that our slate is clean… because I guarantee you that God is watching and listening!
What does this mean in terms of our daily living and forgiveness? For starters, we can’t talk one way in our home or among a circle of our closest friends… and talk another when we are in public. We can’t be nice to someone while they stand before us, and call them an ugly name when they turn to walk away. Just because you don’t use four-letter words in public doesn’t mean people don’t know… and most certainly God hears them!
We can’t serve in ministries – organized or individual – and ask God to bless our efforts if we are harboring ill will toward someone else. We can’t go to God in prayer and ask Him to bless us and those whose names we lift, then disrespect our parents, teachers, bosses, coaches, our elected officials, or even the guy who ran a red light and rammed into our car! Comments like “I’ll make her pay” or “He will wish he had never heard of me” have no place in the life of a Christian. Name calling is never appropriate… and grieves God. Remember Jesus’ words that when we do these unto the least of His brethren, we have done them to Him!
When we show disrespect or speak unkindly toward another person, we fail to offer him/her forgiveness for whatever offense we feel he/she committed. We won’t like every person we meet. I will be the first to tell you that there are people who rub me the wrong way… some who have insulted me… and even a few I try to avoid. We are not going to agree with – or like – every person in the world. But we must still offer them forgiveness and compassion.
Believe me… I know it’s a hard thing to do! When you think of someone who irritates or offends you, try saying, “LORD… I don’t know what it is about this person that makes him/her act this way… or why I let it bother me so much. Please forgive me... and grant me a spirit of forgiveness. Help me to let go of this offense and allow YOU to have control.” This is a prayer I will most certainly offer more than once. But as I begin to allow God to build a spirit of forgiveness into my heart, I will hopefully get better at practicing grace, mercy and tolerance… and my prayers will become more genuine and unencumbered by my own misgivings.
Life as a disciple of Christ is not easy. It requires us to stay awake and alert for any attempts by the devil to trip us up. And when it comes to unforgiveness, we’re often pretty easy marks! If you want to be more like Jesus, you’ve got to check your words, actions… and yes, your feelings. God knows your heart. He knows when you are genuinely operating from the heart… and when you are offering lip service and false pretenses. Search your heart today for pockets of unforgiveness and offense. Clean the slate… and ask God to help you keep it that way.
©2013 Debbie Robus
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