In Monday’s lesson we read one of Paul’s prayers for the Ephesians and were reminded that God’s power (resurrection power) is ours through Jesus. Refusal/inability to forgive another can take over so much room in our hearts that there is no room for personal spiritual growth.
An unforgiving heart toward just one individual/event can
“interrupt the flow of the Spirit.”
- The first step in forgiving another could be to mindfully prayYour will be done and pray for His strength to empower us as we commit our will to His.
- Then we set about to obey Jesus’ command to forgive others and to trust that He will empower us to do just that.
We would all do well to heed what Jon Walker wrote in Costly Grace (devotionals inspired by Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship): he reminds us of Jesus’ call, Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden… Walker says that Jesus (in essence) is calling us to “walk with Him…and watch how He does it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace….Instead of trying harder, let’s trust more.”
ASSIGNMENT:
1. Read Mark 11:22-26. What did Jesus say in this passage about our attitude/actions as they relate to prayer? To forgiveness?
2. Read Mark 11:25 again. It is possible that we can hold bitterness toward another - without grounds for that bitterness. An individual could have made an innocent comment, (with no offense intended) that we misconstrued. When we harbor bitterness toward anyone – this passage calls us to let that go and extend forgiveness (to the individual directly… or in our hearts – whichever is needed) before we go to God in prayer.
3. Read Luke 17:3-4. What instructions did Jesus give to His disciples? There are several different concepts in these verses that we’ve not encountered in our previous readings, what are they? What would you say is the bottom-line principle here?
4. Read Matthew 5:23-24 and answer the questions below:
a. In your own life, what could be considered an altar gift?
b. Can you recall an example when a brother held something against you or another brother? Perhaps you/they were innocent of any wrongdoing …or perhaps guilty.
c. Consider a possible reconciliation scenario where one asks for forgiveness and forgiveness is denied. What then?
When we have difficulty forgiving others, we might envision our Lord and Savior suffering on the cross – a victim of a barbaric execution. He did this to redeem you and me! As He suffered, He cried out, Father, forgive them… He was asking God to forgive you and me!
Our Father, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done …How can we express our gratitude for the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus? We praise You for all the provisions You’ve made for our salvation. We ask that You work in our lives and lead us to forgive others as You have forgiven us. We praise You through Jesus – the One Who suffered, died, rose again and is now interceding on the throne for us. Amen
