A + B = C

Matthew 6:12  and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

Let’s do some math! A+B=C

Now, I am not a big fan of letters in math problems. I am a firm believer that God made math perfect, then the devil came along and put in the letters. Anyway, according to math laws, if you change anything on either side of the equal sign, the equation no longer works. A+D=C is not the same. Am I going too fast for anyone?

In today’s verse, part of what we call The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus gives us a forgiveness equation. Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven…

“As we” is the equal sign in this equation: Forgive me the same way I forgive others.

If I’m stingy with my forgiveness, Lord, be stingy with your forgiveness. And if we don’t forgive, Jesus addresses that, too:

Matthew 6:14-15 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

A+B=C My forgiveness of others = God’s forgiveness of me. If I don’t forgive others, God won’t forgive me. I don’t know about you, but I need all of God’s forgiveness I can get, so I MUST forgive others. I am pretty sure we are all in that boat together.

So if you’ve been hurt by someone, forgive them. Your life with Christ is way more important than any grudge you may be carrying. Forgive those who have hurt you, it’s the way to true freedom.

For an audio sermon on this topic check out Forgive or Forget It!

Today’s Readings:  1 Samuel 22; Psalm 17,35; Matthew 6