Forgive like God

Matthew 6:12-15

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

• How does this passage challenge God to imitate us?
• Why might the "temptation" portion of the prayer be between the "forgiveness" portion and the "forgiveness" commentary?
• Why is forgiveness so difficult for most people?
• How do you feel when you read v. 14 closely and with full attention?

Harold's Musings:
One of the common actions that result from anger is resentment, i.e. keeping a record of wrongs (1 Co. 13:5). Over the years I have found that resentments or at least keeping records of mistakes and hurts are common in the church. Those of us who are "perfect" keep an unwritten tally of who messed up and how often. Those of us who are insecure remember every word, action, or even look that hurt us. We like things our way and when we don't get our way we remember. Divisions in the church have resulted from resentment that moved from simmering to boiling over. All of this comes back to this passage. Do you want God to imitate you? Ooooouuuucccchhhh!