DAILY DEVOTIONAL FROM PASTOR WESLEY April 21, 2022

Victory Over Unforgiveness

Forgiving others for their wrongdoings allows us to have genuine fellowship with them and with God.

``Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. ``So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ``But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. ``When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ``But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. ``And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. ``So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. ``Pray, then, in this way: `Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. `Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. `Give us this day our daily bread. `And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. `And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'] ``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. Matthew 6:1-15

Immediately after teaching His followers how to pray, Jesus warned that those who refuse to forgive others won’t be forgiven by the Father. Do not misunderstand Jesus’ meaning here—believers don’t lose their salvation when they refuse to forgive. Rather, they break fellowship with God because their attitude gets in the way of regular confession and repentance.

Often people don’t feel like being merciful to someone who has wronged them, but forgiveness is an act of the will more than an act of the heart. Take responsibility and acknowledge your unforgiveness as a violation of God’s Word. Claim the divine mercy He offers, and ask Him to enable you to lay aside anger and resentment against others. Try praying for those who hurt you, and if God so leads, seek their forgiveness for your wrong attitude.

A resentful spirit can grow into a terrible burden that isn’t healthy to carry through life. Forgiving characterizes who we are in Christ, and it’s truly in our best interest to pardon others, even when difficult. Jesus promised to make us free (John 8:36), so choose to be liberated from your hurt.

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