Day 13: "As We Forgive Others"

Matthew 6:12 as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Have you ever heard the phrase “blessed to be a blessing?” That's essentially where Jesus turns to in our next stop on this powerful pattern to prayer. Jesus teaches this because God’s grace that has been shown to us is not something that is meant to just be something we experience but also something we want others to experience.

As we saw yesterday when we pause and confess our daily sins and debts to God and experience His forgiveness for them, we then seek to show this same forgiveness to others. The main teaching here is: people that KNOW grace SHOW grace to others. Prayer is where we commune with God and experience His forgiveness and God then wants us to be transformed by this forgiveness to become people of grace and forgiveness. It is impossible and deeply hypocritical to ask for the same forgiveness from God and not seek to be like Him in modeling and showing that forgiveness to others. 

Is there unforgiveness in your heart to someone in your life? Are you struggling to forgive someone even this morning? Forgiveness is hard but with God all things are possible. We might not have the ability to reconcile with everyone but because of the grace we have been shown Jesus wants to transform us to be a people of forgiveness. It has been said we are never more like God than when we forgive. Today pause and pray and ask God to transform you and let you show to others the same forgiveness you have been shown, so you can let your good works shine before men so they give glory to God. (Matthew 5:16)    

PRAYER: Father thank you for your forgiveness and grace that You have shown to me. I pray you would transform me to show this to others. Let me be someone who has been blessed so I can be a blessing and help others experience your forgiveness so they might see a small picture of the God that is so forgiving.