20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
- What does Jesus say about doubt and prayer?
- What does Jesus say about the limits of prayer?
- What does Jesus say you should every time you pray?
- What is the reason for forgiving others?
- Why would Jesus connect the power of prayer with forgiving others?
How many times have you heard in a public prayer, "Forgive us our [unforgiven] sins"? Couple of million times? How many times have you heard in a public prayer, "Forgive those who have wronged [me, us, the church, Jesus]? One hand? Two hands? I know I don't have to take my shoes off to finish the count. This is one of those little, hidden, not discussed passages. We often have heard sermons on the power of prayer and rightly so. Jesus connects prayer and forgiveness in a powerful way. Notice: whenever you pray, forgive. Not sometimes, every time. And the reason: that God may forgive your sins. There seems to be a rule in play: Forgive so that you can be forgiven. Hmmmm..... Sounds like an important rule.
3 comments:
When I first read the question on Monday's Blog that said, "How does this passage challenge God to imitate us?" I thought the question was mis-worded. After reading it several times, I realized how that question told me "if I don't forgive others, then God will imitate me and not forgive me." Today's Blog simply states much the same thing. I must forgive others no matter how small or large the offense. I cannot let my pride or Satan get in the way. I have learned a lot about myself during these last two weeks. Maybe if I get angry, I would feel better. I don't think so! This is a good Blog and I have learned so much from your daily morning studies.
Ok, Harold, I agree. This is a passage I have read and know in my head, but I certainly don't practice it. "Whenever you stand praying, forgive."
Now my question -- how do I start teaching this to a 3 year old, who doesn't currently hold grudges? Should I remind her about things during prayer time, or just wait until she's older to teach this concept? I guess since she has forgotten the "offense" and moved on, I hate to bring it back up. But this certainly will be handy in jr. high... ;)
~Janay~
Janay, that is a great question. Do you teach holding a grudge in order to teach to not hold a grudge? Doesn't make much sense, does it? Two thoughts come to mind. Perhaps teaching/modeling a general attitude of forgiveness. When she gets upset at you or you get upset at her, bring forgiveness into the mix. Not just say "I'm sorry" but "I'm sorry and I forgive you". We did not model it so I have no real experience. The other is add it in your prayers that she hears. This is a generally tough subject that I have not done very well at applying or teaching by example. Perhaps others will have better ideas. Randy, Holly, Dick? Anyone out there?
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