November 14, 2017

"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6:12

There is one  phrase I always work into my wedding ceremonies and it is this, "And never forget that marriage is the union of two good forgivers."

If you were to interview 50 couples who have been married for 25 years or more there would be five or six common denominators that they would attribute the longevity of their relationships to and one of those attributes would forgiveness.

Imagine a scenario like this. Things have been a bit tense between you and your spouse recently and to prevent it from escalating you apologize saying, "Please forgive me I have been hard to live with lately."

Your spouse replies, "No!"

"No? What do you mean, no?"

"No, I won't forgive you!"

"Really?"

"Really! I will not forgive you! I can't forgive you!"

Where can that conversation go from there?

For that matter, where can a relationship go from there?

Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship with a loving and living God! It is a relationship that was made possible through forgiveness. That forgiveness is made possible by the blood of Jesus Who paid the penalty for our sins by His death on the cross.

So, a relationship born out of forgiveness requires continued forgiveness to sustain it!

No wonder Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."

Forgiving is hard but Jesus says, "You have a prayer!"

November 13, 2017

"Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11

This is a promise from God that as we trust Jesus we will have enough for each day.

Worrying about physical and material provisions is a strong theme throughout the sixth chapter of Matthew.

What is the solution for worry? 

How can we keep from being overcome by anxiety?

Jesus addresses that timely topic in this short section of the Lord's Prayer and then He addresses it again toward the end of chapter six.

He urges us to trust the Father one day at a time! Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not guaranteed! Learn from the past and don't labor under it! 

Did God take care of you yesterday? Then why not trust Him today and be confident of tomorrow?

Trusting God a day at a time assures you won't waste your energy in non-productive concerns. You have a limited amount of emotional and physical energy so why waste it fretting over the past or projecting into the future? You have no control over either but you can be fully committed and invested in each moment of the present day!

This is not a prescription for irresponsibility or laziness but rather a recognition of the Father's desire and sufficiency to meet your needs. It doesn't all depend on you! And when you remove that pressure from yourself you become more motivated to pursue your daily tasks. 

This also reaffirms the truth that faith is a relationship NOT a religion. It is a daily walk with loving Father. 

Are healthy relationships spent regretting the past?

No! Only God knows how many relationships have been strained and ruined by the failure to leave past hurts or fears in the past!

Are healthy relationships spent fretting over the future?

Of course not!

If you know Jesus as your Savior your past is forgiven and reconciled and your future is in the hands of your Heavenly Father. 

What if God freed you from your past and guaranteed your future so you can enjoy Him a day at a time?

The call of Christ is to fully invest moment by moment in your daily walk with your Father!

What a way to live!

Will you choose to live that way today?

Will you pray, "Give ME today my daily bread?"