Bearers of God's Grace

Scripture – Matthew 6:14-18: ¹⁴For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. ¹⁶“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) Forgiveness is hard to give if I haven’t received it myself. Many years ago this lesson overwhelmed me in a powerful way. I experienced God’s grace as I never had before. I accepted the fact that He accepted me as I am. That experience was a turning point in my spiritual life. At the same time, it began a new dynamic in my on-going journey with Christ. For I find His grace coming to me time and again. Just a month or so ago it hit me again in a wonderfully redeeming and lifting way. If I didn’t have this experience of God’s forgiveness in my life, there’s no way I could extend real forgiveness to anyone else. I simply would not know what it was. However, I do know. And knowing the great freedom God gives me through His forgiveness, how can I withhold that from someone else by holding something over them?

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) God’s grace has been an amazing thing in my life. I will be a bearer of that grace in the midst of this conditional, unforgiving world.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, it is only through your power and presence that I can do that. Please keep teaching me about forgiveness – especially how to give it. I’m sorry for the times I hold onto things people have done and keep them as a justification for my own resentment. Thank you for your forgiveness. Help me be a bearer of your grace today.