Matthew 6:12
... and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
When I was in tenth grade, I
studied geometry. Our teacher, Mrs. Berry, taught us about
mathematical theorems and properties. A theorem has been defined as “a
general proposition not self-evident but proved by a chain of reasoning;
a truth established by means of accepted truths.” We wrote “proofs”
that outlined how we arrived at certain conclusions. There were lots of
“if - then” statements...as in, “If 2 sides and the included
angle of one triangle are congruent respectively to 2 sides and the
included angles of a second triangle, then the 2 triangles are
congruent.” Yeah, I know...I had a love/hate relationship with geometry
class. The proofs could be fun...but they could also make us a little
crazy! And for the life of me, I could not see what benefits this
information would provide in adult life!
But here’s the
thing...there are “if - then” statements all throughout our
lives...”theorems” that dictate and determine how situations and
circumstances will play out. And one of these “theorems” is that if we want God to forgive us...then
we must forgive others first. Simply put, we cannot ask God to show
mercy toward us if we are unwilling to do the same for our fellow man.
This would amount to asking God to declare that we are better than
others...deserving of special treatment...more important to Him than the
next guy.
When we ask God to forgive us and refuse to forgive
others, we essentially say, “I don’t have to play by the rules. God will
give me a ‘pass’.” I am pretty sure Jesus didn’t hang on the cross and
say, “With my very life’s blood, I forgive the sins of the world...but
only some of these people will have to forgive others in my name. A few
get special exceptions and advantages.”
Would you really want
to serve a Savior who operated this way? Don’t worry...you don’t have
to...because the forgiveness of Jesus doesn’t work this way - never has
and never will! Jesus was emphatically clear about this...if you forgive others, then I will hear your requests to be forgiven.
I
can still remember showing proofs to Mrs. Berry that she vetoed. The
properties and evidence were not right. The logical order was out of
kilter. Somehow, things didn’t quite “line up” as they should...and
often it was one teeny tiny thing that was amiss. Until we got
everything right, she would say, “Go back and do it again.” And until
we get this right, Jesus is pretty much saying the same thing.
If
there are areas in your life where you can’t seem to get headed in the
right direction, take some time to do a little soul searching. If you
have prayed repeatedly over an issue or situation and feel you have not
received an answer, ask yourself where you might have missed a step and
blocked the forgiveness of Jesus and His mercy in your life because of
your unwillingness to follow His commands. Jesus doesn’t play
games...but this is no “sport” with Him. Purely and simply, this is His
commandment to us - to forgive others and show them mercy - in order to
receive His pardon and understanding in our own situations.
Take a good look at the “proofs” in your life. Examine your “work” and see where you need make revisions. If you share grace, mercy and forgiveness with others, then you
can boldly ask Jesus to do the same for you. Just as it is with
geometry, no steps can be omitted if you wish to reach the right
conclusion. When you logically and thoroughly trace each thought or
action, you can determine where you stumbled and make the necessary
changes. Will this be the day that you set things right by offering
forgiveness and mercy to others? Have you successfully ordered all of
the steps in your “proof”? Isn’t it time you did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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