BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

Here’s a final lesson from Jesus about prayer:  As long as you hold a grudge against another person, your prayer life, and thus your relationship with God, will never be as good as it could be.  Here’s what Jesus said: 

     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.  (Matthew 6:15).

This is not the only instance of Jesus’ concern about this.  In this same sermon, he said:

   If you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice…Go and be reconciled to that person, then come and offer your sacrifice to God.  (Matthew 5:23-24)

My contention is that if we took this admonition with the seriousness it deserves, our pews would be a lot emptier than they are, because most of us would be out seeking reconciliation!  All this is related to prayer in that when our horizontal relationships are out of whack, our vertical relationship is hindered.  Someone once noted that there are no shortcuts to God which bypass people! 

So…if you’re having trouble praying, think about people in your life against which you may be holding a grudge, people you might be enjoying staying miffed at.  As a Christian, it’s your responsibility to take the first step…it might not be pleasant, your overtures may not be well-received, but it’s your duty to try.  The rest is up to God and that person.  Even in the attempt to reconcile, you will be blessed, and you might find that the logjam that has been blocking the river of living water has been cleared. 

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday