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FORGIVE
The
Lord's Prayer is divided into six couplets. The
first teaches about God's nature.
The second asks for his will to be done now. The
third asks him to provide for our
material needs. Now we are looking at the fourth
couplet. It asks him to forgive
our mistakes. The first line of the two is "and
forgive us our debts," our trespasses.
There
are several dynamics in this short phrase. The first
is the admission that we need forgiving. The next is
that God has the power to forgive. Also, it assumes
God is
inclined to forgive. Overall it is a confession that
we are fallible. "Occasionally" we
have made some noticeable mistakes.
The petition for forgiveness ties to Jesus'
Beatitudes. It relates to most of them. For .
us to admit faults and ask for forgiveness, the key
Beatitude attitudes must be felt. .
To ask for forgiveness, one would be poor in spirit,
mourning, meek, searching for .
righteousness, merciful, seeking purity of heart and
also wanting to be a peacemaker.
Of
course, asking for forgiveness can be done from the
fear of expected or deserved .
divine punishment. However, the prayer doesn't
require a particular motive. It just.
requests God to forgive our mistakes. The fact that
we ask God for forgiveness .
acknowledges his power and primacy. .
On
a more general basis, here we acknowledge that there
is some proper order for all.
of us. The prayer says, "forgive us our
debts." The plural pronoun of us implies .
that all people have fallen short of God's
requirements. All are in the same boat. .
We
have a commonality as humans standing before God.
None of us is better than .
another. If we all have fallen short of God's
requirements and need his forgiveness, .
what are our shortcomings? Do you know yours?
WILL
"Thy will be done." Let me ask you a
question. Assuming you are going to the Spirit
world - Heaven - after you die, what are you going
to do for eternity? Do you know?
Have you thought about it? I know what I am going to
do in the hereafter Heaven.
I am going to do what I am told to do. I am going to
do what God tells me to do.
I am going to be obedient to his "will".
Doing
God's will is a choice, of sorts, in this world. It
becomes a necessity in the world to come. The world
to come, Heaven in the hereafter sense, is called
"Paradise." Life there, we assume, will be
trouble free and always in the presence of God.
There we think we will be bathed in God's love, and
always be carefree and joyful.
Do
you have any reason to dispute that picture of life
after death? Maybe you are not sure of what the
living conditions will be in that later heaven, but
you know you will not be in control. Don't you? You
do know you will need to do what you are told to do.
Don't you? I do!
In
this prayer phrase, we are agreeing with the
inevitable. God's will shall be done because he is
God and he has the power to cause anything to
happen. Honestly spoken, this phrase is our
intellectual commitment to submit to God's will as
we can best understand it and conform to it. Here we
admit God has a will and we will follow it if we can
figure out how. Instinctively, or at least
hopefully, we think God can show us his will.
Now
this part of the prayer becomes more than a
thoughtless liturgy. It is our acknowledgement that
God is real, alive, and has a will. We are agreeing
to accept and implement his will. Now we wonder,
what is supposed to happen next?
WORKS
The
good news about a life of faith in God's kingdom is
that he is in control. Along with his authority over
you, he continues to have responsibility for you. It
is as if he says to you, "The buck stops
here." God is working for your well being.
When
you took Jesus' teachings seriously, and accepted
them for your way of life, you won God's protection.
From then on you became God's responsibility. He is
your protector. You know this from the "Lord's
Prayer." God is your Abba, Daddy. You do not
need to do more religious works to prod him.
Rituals,
liturgies, prayer formulas, piety, or special
knowledge are not needed. He is working in your life
because he loves you, and not because of what you
do. All your Father wants from you is acknowledgment
that he is the source of your good fortune. He
appreciates your gratitude.
Living
in God's Kingdom of Heaven is that simple. All you
say is, "God is God, and I am his child, and he
is taking care of me. I will do my best and he will
make all things work out for good." For some
people, that is too simple.
Faith
is accepting life as it is, without complaint. It is
knowing God will work out all things for your
benefit, sooner or later. Lack of faith is losing
trust in God's willingness to protect you and pour
his love and providence into your life. God never
forgets a name. He will never leave you or forsake
you. Your name is engraved in his mind.
When
things are not going according to your plans, you
can become frustrated. Things are not supposed to
work out according to your plans. Don't forget, you
turned yourself over to him some time ago. Final
planning is in his hands, not yours. No amount of
religious works can change that.
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