Effective pattern of prayer
Our savior, Jesus Christ, while on this earth, taught us the pattern of prayer. In the gospel of Matthew 6, it is recorded, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Jesus continues further in the teaching of the prayer when He said, “Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Jesus said in verse 15 that if we refuse to forgive others, our Father will not forgive our sins.
Bitterness has been described as one of the chief sins of the church world in the recent decades. Many Christians struggle with bitterness over broken relationships and harsh words. It's not by chance that the Bible emphasizes the need to forgive. At the conclusion of the prayer that the Lord taught us, Jesus made it plain that unless we forgive others, we cannot receive the forgiveness that we desire from Him.
We must first make the step toward this right relationship with God by forgiving others. When you forgive someone, it does not mean that you do not remember what they did. As a matter of fact, when you can remember what they did and forgive them as though it never mattered, you have truly been released from the error that was done to you. The person who forgives others is building a bridge over which you can walk to receive the forgiveness that God desires you to have.
It is Truly Wonderful
He pardoned my transgressions, He sanctified my soul,
He honors by confessions, since by His blood I'm whole.
It is truly wonderful what the Lord has done!
It is truly wonderful! It is truly wonderful!
It is truly wonderful what the Lord has done!
Glory to His name.
The Rev. Paul Killingsworth serves as pastor at Yuma First Assembly.
