Becoming Like Jesus: PrayerSample

As We Forgive…

We have spent the first part of this week honing in on the first part of the line in Jesus’ prayer about forgiveness: “Forgive us our sins…”

But that’s not all Jesus has to say about forgiveness. The full line is, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

Did you catch that? Jesus is telling us to pray for God to forgive us the way we forgive others. This is pretty wild to think about. Because almost everywhere else in Scripture, the instructions are to do for others what God has done for us. But here, it’s the opposite. Jesus is teaching us to ask God to do for us what we do for others.

Why? Because Jesus knows that confession can’t happen in isolation. It’s a two-sided coin. Meaning, the invitation to pray this way is not just about us, personally. It’s about us, communally. Jesus knows that without forgiveness friendships will fracture and families will fall apart. And Jesus wants His kingdom to be a kingdom of forgiveness.

So, how do you forgive others? Do you forgive others? How would you feel if God was only willing to forgive you as much as you forgive others?

Today, we’re going to look at how we can become people who forgive others the way we would want to be forgiven. Repeatedly. Radically. Undeservedly.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for forgiving me repeatedly, even though I don’t deserve it. Thank you that your mercy and grace don’t run out and that Jesus’ sacrifice paid for all my sin. Jesus, thank you for going to the greatest lengths to make mercy available to me. To cancel my debt. Holy Spirit, remind me how much I have been forgiven, not so that I am stuck in shame, but so that I am so quick to show grace. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” Luke 7:41-43 NLT

Consider…

Jesus tells this story while sitting at the dinner table with a group of religious leaders. A woman, who had a reputation for living a sinful life, crashed the party and poured expensive perfume on Jesus. The religious leader who invited Jesus is watching all of this with judgment. When he looks at the woman, all he sees is a sinner.

So Jesus tells the story above. Why? Because the more we understand the ugliness of our own sin, the more we can appreciate the beauty of God’s grace. This woman knew she was a sinner. She knew she needed forgiveness. So she came to Jesus. And He welcomed her with radical forgiveness.

But, the religious leaders were blinded by their own self-righteousness. Instead of following this woman’s example and confessing their sins to Jesus, they looked at her with condemnation.

Which path will you choose? Will you recognize the reality of your sin and confess it all to Jesus? Or will you be too focused on pointing out the flaws in other people that you become blind to your own?

Learning how to forgive others starts with acknowledging how much God has forgiven us.

Practice…

As you pray today, continue to ask God to search you. In what ways are you blinded by self-righteousness? How are you tempted to minimize or downplay your sin? The key to learning to forgive others is to realize how much you have been forgiven for.

Listen…

Create space to experience God’s presence by getting quiet, getting alone, and asking Him to speak. Start by setting a timer for five minutes.

Next, ask God to speak to you.

When you get distracted, because you will get distracted, bring your focus back to God by repeating the first words of the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father…”

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you got to spend with Him, then head into your day looking for opportunities to better serve Him and serve others.