Daily Power #108

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25)

If you haven’t forgiven someone who has wronged you, it may limit the power of your prayers. Not because God doesn’t hear you or requires you to jump through hoops but because of the condition of your heart. You can’t say you love God while you hate your brother.

When my kids were small, they loved playing with Webkinz, these little stuffed toys they could play with on the computer. My kids were addicted to them, so we came up with rules about when they could play—usually after they had first completed their normal chores, as well as some additional “Webkinz reward” chores. One day I was working from home and saw my kids being mean to each other. They had turned sibling rivalry into a spiritual gift!

After they had been acting out all day, they said, “We did our chores and earned our rewards, Daddy. Can we play Webkinz now?”

I said, “No, you can’t. Because you were fighting, your lack of relationship and love trumps your obedience on the chores. You’re not getting your coupons today because you haven’t been showing love to each other.”

“But that’s not fair!” they argued.

As a father, the way they treat each other matters to me.

With your heavenly Father, the way you treat one another matters to God. How can we receive forgiveness from God over and over and over, yet be unwilling to forgive those who have wronged us?

Who do you need to forgive today?

Power Lift

Father, you know who I need to forgive in order to make things right—with them and with you. Give me the strength to show them the same grace and mercy you show me.