Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Job 5-6
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 6:14-15
Jesus: If you forgive people when they sin against you, then your Father will forgive you when you sin against Him and when you sin against your neighbor. But if you do not forgive your neighbors’ sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
I do not want to hear those words from Jesus! How dare He set the condition of my forgiveness on my forgiveness! Ouch! From the time God created Adam and Eve and the world began to populate, that small community that began with two and grew from their family always depended upon their existence as a community. Our very survival depends on our living in community with others. We cannot survive alone. We might watch the “reality” TV shows that pit man against nature, but remember that so called lone survivor is surrounded by TV crews, modern technologies if he gets in trouble, respites between shows. Few people across our globe could survive long on their own. We were created to live in community, interdependent on each other.
God really does want us to live in community and the only way to do that is for us to get along with each other. The only way we can really get along with each other is to forgive each other. If we hold grudges, always seek revenge, always think poorly about those who wrong us in some way, the community crumbles. God is serious about our relationships with our neighbors. He gave us the parable of the Good Samaritan to tell us just how much that relationship means. He said love your enemies. He said do to others what you want them to do to you. He said forgive.
When we think about what He forgives against Him in my life and yours, it’s a lot easier to forgive others. When I think about my disobedience in the face of the One who knows everything about me, how can I not forgive those who wronged me? My disobedience crucified the Son of God. How does that equate to the inconvenience my brother might have caused me? How can I not forgive in the face of that comparison?
Jesus says, “If I forgive those who sin against me, the Father will forgive my sins against Him and my neighbors.” The implication is the negative is also true. If I do not forgive those who sin against me, the Father will not forgive my sins against Him and my neighbors. So the logic is clear. If I want to experience freedom from sin. If I want the guilt and stain of sin removed from my life by the forgiveness of my Father in heaven, I must forgive those who sin against me. In these words, it seems clear there is no other path to that freedom.
If I don’t forgive, I won’t be forgiven. But I also find it’s easier to forgive because I’m forgiven. If God can forgive me, I can forgive others. I can share the same grace I’ve received. I can remember the mercy God has shown me and when I do, I can extend that grace to those around me. I can show God’s love to those around me, not because of who I am or what I’ve done, but because of who He is and what He has done for me.
Is it always easy to forgive? I’ll have to admit, it is not. But it is getting easier with God’s help. In fact, often wrongs against me turn to pity instead of anger because I know the root of the action. Satan does his best to blind us while we live in these frail bodies to the truth. He tries his best to put barriers between us and make us focus on unimportant things to break our relationship with each other.
I learned a lesson several years ago that helped me forgive. I used to call it my 80% rule. As I’ve grown older and wiser (I think), I’ve revised it to the 95% rule. It goes like this: 95% of everything that happens to you today just doesn’t matter. No one will remember it tomorrow. In terms of eternity it is statistically insignificant. So there is no need to worry about it, get angry about it, or fret about it. Just let today go. But get the 5% right. And what is the 5%? Usually, normally, most of the time, it’s about your relationships – those between you and God, and between you and your fellowman.
What does the 95% rule mean? It means I can forgive the wrongs done to me, because in the long run, they just don’t matter. They go in the “so what” pile. No one will remember them tomorrow, so why should I? It’s better to just forgive my brother and forget about it. Go on with life and enjoy the grace God gives me and extend that mercy and grace to others. Living with that philosophy is what Jesus tells us to do in these verses. I can tell you, it will change the way you look at life and certainly brightens your day and your disposition as you deal with others.
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