Matthew 6:14-15

Scripture:

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (NASB)

Observation:

I knew what I had to do but I really didn’t want to. I am not even sure why, but for some reason, he had it out for me. Every chance he had, he would take the opportunity to make my life miserable. I tried walking away, staying clear of him but somehow, we always seemed to meet during the work shift. Today’s verse speaks to us about forgiveness and how we forgive is how our Heavenly Father will forgive us! In the Discipleship Resources found at Men.AG.Org, in the lesson entitled “The Difficulty of forgiveness”, George Wood shares about cleansing ourselves daily of those things that we may struggle with in forgiving others. I knew the longer I held the unforgiveness towards the other man, the more I would struggle with seeing him at work. Although difficult to forgive those who hurt us, I thought about how my sin put Christ on the Cross and from that very Cross, He uttered those words “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!” Maybe we need to flip the scripture around and say we need to forgive as God has forgiven us?! Once I let go of the unforgiveness, I was able to face the co-worker no matter what he tried to do to me. Months later, we found ourselves even sharing lunch together as we talked and became friends, all due to forgiving him for he didn’t know what he was doing to me! 

Application:

• Personal Application: Continue spending time with the Lord daily. Sow righteousness and reap the fruit of God's unfailing love. 
• Family Devotional: Read this chapter to your family. Ask them if anything spoke to them as you read. Talk about their answers and show them that one important aspect of this chapter is that we must continue to spend time with the Lord and keep our hearts focused on His plans and purposes. Pray for them.

TOM SEMBER has been involved in ministering to men for over 20 years. He is an ordained minister with the AG in the NY Ministry Network. Tom lives with his wife, Carolyn, and children in New York. You can connect with Tom on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.