Matthew 6 v 14 If you forgive men when they sin against you your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
All Relationships come from God who is Himself in relationship with the Son and the Holy Spirit, within the fellowship of the Trinity. Nothing harms the human race so much as broken relationships. It hurts so much because created as we are in the image of God, it is an attack on the very essence of what makes us human.
Because of sin we were all in a broken relationship with God. But God in Grace found a solution to that problem by sending His son our Lord Jesus Christ into the world to bear the brunt of the consequences of our alienation from God. Now He forgives us and accepts us in Christ.
But what if, as Christians, we, unlike our Father in Heaven, refuse to forgive those who offend us? That only goes to prove that we do not really belong to the One who is the Forgiver of all who run to Him. We do not have our Father’s Spirit. Hence our sins are not forgiven.
This is serious business. The one way in which we reflect our Heavenly Father, more than any other, is in the matter of forgiving those who harm us, hurt us, betray us or stand against us. I am aware that there is much more to forgiveness than merely saying “I forgive” and I know a lot of work needs to be done sometimes before true forgiveness can be reached. But the point is that it is the Christians instinct to want all relationships to be in order. Or else the Heavens are as Brass.
As far as it lies with you, have you rectified all those relationships that need attention? Not to do so is to declare that you are not on the Father’s side, but rather the side of bitterness, anger and revenge. Your prayers will not be heard.
Prayer: Almighty God, Forgiver of all who come to you in true repentance, please forgive my hard heart. Give me grace to show your grace to those who hurt me. Please give me a forgiving heart like yours. Amen