Forgiveness: Do Not Hold a Grudge
One way to hear God speak is to listen to themes that appear
in your life. I’ve heard a very loud
theme this week that I believe I am to share with you as a congregation.
On Tuesday, a church member asked me about the part of the
New Testament prayer that reads, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors.” This church
member was concerned about the “as” part of this prayer and the realization that
we generally are not as good at forgiveness as God is.
Then yesterday, a different church member brought up this
same statement from the Lord’s Prayer and shared how every Sunday when we pray
the same person’s name comes to this individual’s mind.
Then this morning I went into our new prayer room at
Kingston Hill and opened up to today’s date in the Upper Room devotional. It read as following:
“No Records
Read Matthew 6:9-13
‘[Love] keeps no record of wrongs.’ – 1 Corinthians 13:5
(NIV)
When I was a child my mom preferred to buy meats from a
small grocery store south of town. Occasionally, Mom did not have enough money
for her purchases. Mr. Holler, the grocer, would say, ‘No problem.’ He pulled
out her customer card and wrote the amount owed. The next time Mom was in the area, she would
pay the balance.
Keeping tabs—as it was called—continues to be practiced in
other ways. We may keep a mental record of when we have been ignored, offended,
or hurt. But unlike Mr. Holler, we seldom pull out the accounts and mark the
debt paid. The tab sits in the back of
our minds ready for us to add to it.
Jesus reminded us of the importance of forgiveness in the
prayer recorded in today’s reading: ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors.’ Jesus declared and showed his love for us by forgiving
us completely. We have been called to
love others as Jesus does. That means we are called to forgive even when others
don’t ask for it. When we no longer maintain a record in our minds bearing that
person’s name and a list of offenses, we can know that we have been able to
forgive the way Jesus does.
Prayer: Dear God, remind us of how much we have been
forgiven so we will resolve to forgive and to love the way Jesus taught us.
Amen.
By Charles Huff (Illinois)
Thought for the Day: Whom is Jesus nudging me to forgive
today?
Prayer Focus: Someone I need to forgive”
In another conversation this week, a church member shared
how much they appreciate New Disciples being a church of grace. Grace is giving a blessing to another that
they have not deserved. We do this
well. We also need to be a church of
forgiveness. A place where we agree to not
gossip or build up a list of grievances.
A place where we commit to holding each other accountable – we want to
be better people – but we also want to be forgiving people, who no longer hold
a grudge.
Jesus invited us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we
also have forgiven our debtors.”
This seems to be the theme this week. Let us forgive. I forgive you.
Amen.
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