forgive Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Daily Thoughts about God

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” Mark 11:25 (KJV).

You and I have a way by which we can be absolutely certain of God’s forgiveness.

It is two-fold.

First, we must be sure that we have forgiven anyone and everyone against whom we may have anything or hold any resentment.

Second, we must believe His Word unquestioningly – and His Word does indeed tell us we will be forgiven when we ask under these conditions.

Most familiar, of course, is the glorious promise of 1 John 1:9,

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all uhteousness” (KJV).

Though today’s verse uses the word stand in reference to praying, Scripture clearly states that the posture in prayer was sometimes standing. God, however, looks on the heart rather than on our position as we pray.

If the heart is right, any posture may be proper. All other things being equal, however, the kneeling position seems more in keeping with the proper attitude of humility in our approach to God. (Physical condition, of course, sometimes makes this inadvisable or impossible.)

Most important, we are to forgive before we pray. That much is certain.

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:9-15 (http://www.biblegateway.com/)

Today: I will examine my heart throughout the day to be sure I have forgiven any who should be forgiven – before I pray.

By Dr. Bill Bright
Used by Permission

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For if you forgive men when they sin against you, Your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, Your Father will not forgive your sins …” Matthew 6: 14-15

Some time ago I was speaking about anger at a men’s gathering. I described resentment as a prison and pointed out that when we put someone in our jail cell of hatred, we are stuck guarding the door. After the message a man introduced himself as a former prison inmate. He described how the guard at the gate of a prison is even more confined than a prisoner. The guard spends his day in a four-by-five-foot house. The prisoner has a ten-by-twelve-foot cell. The guard can’t leave, the prisoner gets to walk around. The prisoner can relax, but the guard has to be constantly alert. You might object and say, “Yes, but the guard of the prison gets to go home at night.” True, but the guard of the prison of resentment doesn’t.

A couple of weeks after I returned home I received this letter from a man named Harold Staub.

Max,
Thank you so much for speaking on forgiveness at Promise Keepers in Syracuse, NY,. I was there. Just want you to know I went home, talked to my wife on many subjects about forgiveness—the best two weeks of my life. You see, she went home to be with the Lord on June 24, totally forgiven. How wonderful is his love. Thank you so very much.

When we called Harold to ask his permission to print his letter, he shared the touching details of his final days with his wife. He didn’t know she was near death, nor did she. He did know, however, that some unresolved issues lay between them. Upon arriving home, he went to her, knelt before her and asked forgiveness for anything he’d ever done. The gesture opened a floodgate of emotions and the two talked late into the night. The initial effort at reconciliation continued for two weeks. The marriage enjoyed a depth not yet known. When Harold’s wife died suddenly of an embolism, he was shocked. But he was ready and now he is at peace.

What about you? Would you like some peace? Would you like assurance that God forgives you? I think you know what you need to do.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: From the Great House of God

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://maxlucado.com/about/

So He May Forgive Us

You and I have a way by which we can be absolutely certain of God’s forgiveness.

Most important, we are to forgive before we pray. That much is certain.

FURTHER READING

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Grace Received, Grace Given

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, Your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, Your Father will not forgive your sins …” Matthew 6: 14-15

FURTHER READING

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So He May Forgive Us

You and I have a way by which we can be absolutely certain of God’s forgiveness.

Most important, we are to forgive before we pray. That much is certain.

FURTHER READING

Follow Us On:

Grace Received, Grace Given

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, Your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, Your Father will not forgive your sins …” Matthew 6: 14-15

FURTHER READING

Follow Us On: