“...And forgive us our debts, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”
Luke 11:4
As much as we pray for daily bread, we need to pray for God to forgive our sins. The daily forgiveness of sins keeps our hearts soft towards the grace of God and the love of our neighbors. As we continue examining the Lord’s prayer, Pastor Ryan Schlachter gives us three reasons why we must make a habit out of asking for forgiveness daily.
What’s the context?
- The term "debt" was used to symbolize our sin
- The purpose of praying for daily forgiveness isn’t because God is reluctant to forgive, but to maintain a posture of humility
- If your faith is in Jesus, every sin, whether past, present, or future, has been forgiven!
- There is new mercy and grace to receive every morning. We are sinful people, but our sinful nature is not larger than his grace.
Here are three reasons we must make a habit to daily ask for forgiveness…
It keeps us close to God
- Sin is the greatest separation between ourselves and God.
- When we try to manage the load of our own sin, it creates more shame, condemnation, guilt, and distance from God.
- When we approach God we aren’t begging him for forgiveness: we’re asking Him to do something He already desires to do.
- The more we start to see our sin, the more we start to see how forgiven we are.
It helps us to love others better
- When we don’t bring our sins to God, we deceive ourselves into believing we have less sin than we really do.
- A sign of a healthy heart is when you are able to forgive other people with a grateful heart.
- Our reluctance to forgive others is a key sign that we are neglecting spending time close to God.
- Our sin against God is greater than others' sins against us.
It grows us in our understanding of His love
- Jesus says that those that have been forgiven much, love much.
- One of the most consistent things we can do is remind ourselves how forgiven and loved we are.
- God is eagerly waiting, on the edge of His seat, for us to turn to Him for grace and mercy. His disposition is naturally to forgive.
- I will never understand that forgiveness is available for me if I never bring my sins to him.
- He isn’t surprised by our thoughts or actions. He knows our sins intimately and personally carried them to the cross.
Additional Resources
Dinner Party Questions
- Have you struggled to stay close to God when struggle with a particular sin?
- How can God’s forgiveness of your sins help you to forgive other people of theirs?
- Do you see God as eager or hesitant to forgive your mistakes?
