-March 10, 2023-
Good morning, happy Friday,
“And whenever you stand praying, if have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
(Mark 11:25-26).
One huge hindrance to prayer is a lack of forgiveness when others wrong us. In terms of our standing before God, all our sins are forgiven, past, present, and future. They are all under the blood, never to be held against us again. The forgiveness referred to here in this passage is between believers. When we fail to forgive each other and hold grudges, it affects our relationship and fellowship with God and with others. The first type of forgiveness is what we call judicial, God as Judge forgives us of our sins and declares us righteous through the Lord Jesus Christ. The second type of forgiveness is what we call parental, where God as our Father forgives the believer when he sins and restores him to fellowship with Himself. When we as children of God sin we must confess it to be restored. If we don’t there are consequences. We won’t lose our salvation, which is secure, but will be cut of from the sweet fellowship with the Lord.
Jesus had just been teaching His disciples how powerful prayer is. All they had to do is have faith without doubting and they move mountains. He says, in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you will have them.” This is a wonderful promise. There are however hindrances to prayer like an iceberg to a ship. The S.S. Titanic hit a massive iceberg and sunk on her maiden voyage. Just as there are two types of forgiveness, there are two types of relationships: vertical, that is with God, and horizontal, that is with our fellow men.
In our text today, the short conditional word “if” is used twice. Jesus said, “If you have anything against anyone, forgive him.” Then He also added, “But If you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your trespasses.” When we forgive others, God forgives us. It is vital to maintaining a good relationship with God and others. Just reflect on how times you have forgiven others and others have forgiven you. Jesus taught us that we are responsible to initiate the conversation with the person who has hurt us and when we come aware someone has something against us in order to settle the matter.
May the Lord help us to forgive to be forgiven. Then there will be restoration and nothing to hinder our prayers. Have a blessed day balancing the books in our lives, dealing with each other in love, and being right with God and men. Stay safe and healthy.
In love and mercy forgive,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 