Day 17: Forgive, And Be Forgiven!

Yesterday, we’ve looked at the very important principle of forgiving one’s sins, so our sins may be forgiven. We’ve seen it is a decision of our will, and not an emotion, and, very importantly, that the initiative lies with us.

This is taught so very clearly in the Lord’s Prayer, where one of the petitions that Jesus taught us to pray is this: “Forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Notice, “...have forgiven” is in the perfect tense—it’s a settled matter. I don’t come to God with my prayers until I’m absolutely clear in my own mind that I have forgiven everybody. And it doesn’t suggest that I’m to wait for everybody to realize that they’ve wronged me and be repentant and come to me and ask for forgiveness—that would be wonderful, but that’s not the way it usually happens. A lot of people that you have something against don’t even realize you’ve got something against them. They don’t think they’ve done you anything wrong. Whether they’re right or wrong, that’s not so important. What’s important is your attitude toward them. By a decision of your will, you have to forgive them.

Notice again, the relationship between our forgiving others and God forgiving us. Jesus said we are to say to the Father, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” In this same proportion in which we have forgiven others, God will forgive us. If we have totally forgiven others, we can expect total forgiveness from God, but if we withhold forgiveness from others, even in a measure, then we cannot legitimately expect total forgiveness from God. The measure in which we relate to others in this matter of forgiving determines the measure or the proportion in which God relates to us.

You see, it’s like this: forgiving is tearing up I.O.U.’s (I Owe You). Maybe you have a lot of I.O.U.’s in your hand from, as an example, your husband: I.O.U. Care, I.O.U. Affection, I.O.U. Maintenance, I.O.U. Love ,I.O.U. Appreciation. And he hasn’t paid those I.O.U.’s, he’s in your debt.” Those debts are probably absolutely legal. You can hold on to them. But remember, up in heaven, God has a lot of I.O.U.’s from you to Him. And He says: “If you will make a deal with God, if you’ll tear up your I.O.U.’s from your husband, God says, ‘Then I’ll tear up My I.O.U.’s in heaven from you to Me.’”  So, you have to determine whether you’re going to accept that deal or not.