I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours. And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too. But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your failings either.’
Forgiving!
When I was younger, I tried to forgive others quickly but sometimes the injury or perceived injury would come back and the resentment would resurface. After many years the baggage of not forgiving, it was more burdensome than the actual injury. In a nutshell it was harder to keep the baggage than to get rid of it in the first place. True freedom does not have baggage.
Interestingly enough, Jesus says first, “believe that you have it already and it will be yours”, but there is a condition. Second condition is forgive whatever you have against anybody. Conclusion is that God doesn’t listen to us when we pray because we haven’t forgiven others.
When Jesus cursed the fig tree, he showed us the power of words. Honestly, I am sometimes guilty of cursing. It has power. A youth director I once knew had a group of youngsters who cursed a house plant and it started to die, until the group repented and took the curse back. Our words have power and our forgiveness has power. Our attitude towards God and love of fellow man can have good outcomes. The outcome is mostly depending on us. If we love as God loves and forgive as God loves we have a glimpse of the Kingdom of God here on Earth. We become the love that God is.
Look at the miracle in John 4:49-54 The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. [Now] this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea. This was the second miracle at Cana, but what is interesting about this miracle is the way it happened. The father went home and his son lived. They believed and the miracle occurred. That was the first part of the miracle.
When we drain ourselves of the me in us and expand the Jesus in us we forgive as a part of our nature. This is the nature of God. Everything good that happens to us is when we push out our feelings and love like God loves. We have to forgive in order to love.
Have a great week!
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for Pope Leo XIV. Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. The impossible could and can happen. (Saint Rita) Never deny God! Pray for justice for immigrants! Pray for justice for our President and all government officials! Pray for Immigrants! Pray for Peace!
