Read Matthew 6:9-13 NIV (Emphasis on vs. 12)
This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
We have spent the last few weeks at Cross Creek working through the Lord’s Prayer as a model for the manner in which we ought to approach prayer. For the rest of the week we will take some bite-sized pieces of the prayer as Jesus instructed His followers to pray, and focus on centering our own prayer for the day in that direction. Today we will focus on verse 12 and the role forgiveness plays in our relationship with God.
12 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Lord,
I am so grateful that You run after me with open arms ready to welcome me in and forgive me. There is no part of You that You withhold from me. Your love and Your forgiveness is complete. Remind me of that when my tendencies are to stick my feet in the mud and hold back on offering forgiveness to others. I desire to live fully in Your forgiveness and to learn to love more and more like You every day. Give me a gentle spirit that seeks to build up rather than tear down. Let my words and my actions honor You in all things and help me to seek peace and forgiveness even in the most difficult circumstances. Help me to offer forgiveness with a grateful heart for the forgiveness I have received. Help me to hold nothing back but to love and forgive as freely as You have loved me. Amen.
