Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

One night last winter while in my hotel room in the upper peninsula of Michigan I was watching TV. In fact I was watching an episode in a new series "Chuck". The story is about a guy who receives an email from his ex best friend who got him kicked out of Standford. The email contained images that burned themselves into our hero's brain, making him the container for all the CIA, NSA, etc information. Wow. So what does a secular TV show have to do with forgiveness? Well in this second episode, The doctor that was sent to help remove the images from Chuck's head was assassinated by a cellphone bomb. The NSA agent tasked with protecting our scaredy-cat, meek and mild "hero" (with capital quotes) convinces Chuck that it is the CIA agent who is protecting him (and posing as his girlfriend). In the ensuing hijinks, accusations are made, tempers flare, and the girl gets kidnapped by the doctor from the beginning of the episode who faked his own death as part of his diabolical plan to kidnap Chuck. Chuck and the NSA agent rush to rescue the girl and in the process Chuck himself disables the evil turncoat doctor and saves the day. At the end of the show, Chuck apologizes to the girl, and she apologizes to him and they forgive each other (thus leading to a further romance story embedded in the plot for the next who knows how many seasons that show will run).

My point is that forgiveness is an act that comes from the heart and the act of forgiveness brings healing. We must learn to forgive everyone who hurts us, regardless of how we feel at the moment and all our desires for vengeance. If we can not learn to forgive others, we can not enjoy the healing that it brings to us (who forgive) and them (who are forgiven). Yes forgiving someone else allows them to start the mending and healing process too, even when they have not asked for it.

Why must we forgive though? Sometimes it is so easy to simmer and boil and be bitter than to forgive. We must forgive because of all that God has forgiven us! That is the key. He forgave us for everything we have done to Him. All our sin, our breaking his heart daily, our disobedience, our betrayals, our hatred and disintrest, everything we have ever done wrong He has forgiven us. If we then turn around and choose to with-hold forgiveness from others, are we really thankful for His sacrifice? Are we really trying to do our best? Have we truly accepted His forgiveness?

God's grace is tremendous. It overflows with blessings in our lives, but we in turn have a responsibility to spread those blessings to those around us. There is more than we will ever use or need. This includes forgiveness. Christ's blood covers all and cleanses all. Your are forgiven, therefore forgive. You are blessed, therefore bless. You are loved, therefor love.

Truly.

How can we sinners know
our sins on earth forgiven?
How can my gracious Savior show
my name inscribed in heaven?

Our nature's turned, our mind
transformed in all its powers,
and both the witnesses are joined,
the Spirit of God with ours.

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Television glare draws our eyes to the latest advertisement. Driving we are bombarded with billboards telling us what we want. The radio blares between songs saying one more thing to add to our collection of stuff before it is completed. We are continuously being tempted to buy more, do more, be more, and have more.
We are weak when it comes to temptation. If you do not believe me, walk down the aisles of a supermarket and even though you only needed to buy milk, maybe you bought bread (because it was on sale) and eggs (because you were nearly out) as well. Maybe you bought filters for the coffee machine because you might use it more than you though. Whoops! Sugar is needed for your baking and coffee (to go with the milk) and so you go get sugar. Oh look! Fresh brownies! That will make a nice addition to supper tonight. Of course its just something special to add to the otherwise plain meal. We are able to rationalize every little fall into “minor” temptation. I say minor because it is not sinful to buy food and produce, but this is getting away from the point. We are tempted continuously and we oftentimes without thought fall into it and rationalize it away! We need God to be there to hep guide us away from sinful temptation. He knows just how much we can stand and He has promised not to allow more than He knows we are able to resist to come at us. I wonder at the faith that God has in us. It oftentimes feels like He thinks I can handle more than I think I can, yet I must remind myself that He knows best – like a coach yelling at me to run one more lap, to add one more weight, to do one more push-up when I am shaking and hurting already.

The most precious part of this prayer though is for deliverance. “Deliver us from evil.” Temptation and deliverance go hand in hand - Sin and Redemption, Falling and being helped up, flagging and being pushed and pulled onwards. Deliverance is freely offered to us and we pray that despite all the temptations that come our way, all the faults and failures and sins that try us, that God will provide a way out and a way to escape. His loving arms hold the shield behind which we hide. All we must do is run towards Him. We fall down, but He picks us up despite the blood and gore, despite the dirt and mud in which we are now covered. He picks us up and dusts us off and gives us a bath and cleans us up.
His grace endures despite our intermittent faults. His mercy is constant.

Father thank you! Lord we praise you for your tremendous love for us. You let us do as we will, not as you want us to do, but you stand by us and are there to help us no matter what, no matter the disappointments we bring to you! How glorious you are! Teach us to do better, guide us and ground us further in your will. Help us to follow more closely. Thank you Father.

Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing;
Fill our hearts with joy and peace;
Let us each, thy love possessing,
Triumph in redeeming grace.
O refresh us, O refresh us,
Traveling through this wilderness.

Matthew 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Verse 11 of this very same chapter continues and slides immediately into this verse and the next. “And” is a simple word, but yet it gives so much to this prayer. While we have just been taught to pray for what we need, what we truly need for the moment, we are also to pray as well for forgiveness. We pray to be blessed with everything we really need: physically, and emotionally, and spiritually as we need it as well as to be forgiven. What a bold request. Such audacity in a demand “Give us... and forgive us...” are we then asking for too much? No! We are asking for the very things we need from the Almighty Creator, the Great Provider! Forgiveness is a spiritual need, but so is forgiving those who have injured us in some manner. We need to forgive others constantly to enjoy the higher level of spiritual freedom that comes with this “and” (For we know that God has already forgiven us our sins and faults of all time as we repented and were redeemed by the blood of Christ Jesus). The worthiness is in our asking!

“And” says that I will ask for the world boldly and unabashedly, not hiding my true needs behind wimpy, wavering, quavering petitions through which the great deceiver, Satan, attacks us and our faith trying to trick us into not accepting this great and wonderful “and” that we have been blessed with. He whispers in our deepest thoughts “Surely God provides bread for you when you really need it, and He certainly gives you good things that you know you don't deserve; if, however, you were truly forgiven you would not think of those things you have been forgiven. If you are truly forgiven then your faith would be so much greater. To be forgiven is too much to ask for right now. You need to be better, you need to work harder to be more righteous before you are truly forgiven. You do not trust enough and you do not love enough. You are not ready yet.” Lucifer turns this portion of the Lord's Prayer into “and forgive us if we are worthy as we try to be good enough to forgive others.” The worthiness is in our asking!

We are also taking a responsibility in this prayer. We ask to forgive others also “as we have forgiven our debtors” which creates a siphon effect! We are only become more capable of truly forgiving others as we become closer to God. By daily asking the Lord to forgive those who have injured us and by our approaching them and forgiving them as we continue to pray that God forgives us as we are trying to forgive them then God's forgiveness and grace begins to flow deeper into our lives and it flows through us. Overflowing, spilling out, rushing and engulfing everything then we become a conduit, a hose, a tube of forgiveness which makes us at long last able to truly forgive others. It takes time and a single-minded pursuit of Christ-mindedness, but it happens. We have to daily, even hourly or minutely forgive those who hurt us. Sadly sometimes – nay, oftentimes- we are debtors to ourselves and we must learn to forgive our own selves and this we find to be the hardest person to forgive. But through the grace of God we are able to. The worthiness is in our asking!

'Forgive our sins as we forgive',
you taught us, Lord to pray;
but you alone can grant us grace
to live the words we say.

Lord, cleanse the depths within our souls
and bid resentment cease;
then, reconciled to God and man,
our lives will spread your peace.

Matthew 6:11 “Give us today our daily bread” (NIV)

I remember allowance day. Each week, my dad would hand out our allowance to each of us, but we would remind him even before he was ready to hand it out. Here we are beseeching our creator whom we have just called “Father in heaven” for the same thing. We are asking Him to grace us with something that we need as we have the right ask for! Imagine one of my friends coming over to my house and asking “Mr. Carter, could I have my allowance please?” My dad would tell my friend to go ask my friend's parents! We can approach the Father on every day stuff, as we must!

“Give us today” is immediate only. We must ask every day. Just as God gave the Israelites enough manna for one day's supply (except for the sabbath) He only gives us what we need immediately. After all, is not the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of all there with us at all times? He will give us exactly what we need, and not a tadbit more or a squinch less that what we currently need.

“Our daily bread” is what we need to survive, but also so much more. Just as in Deuteronomy 8 God taught the people of Israel that man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from His mouth, He was meaning that although we think we need the basics to survive, we have not truly identified those basics. The most basic of basics is God. We can live on what God says. We need nothing else. Now physically we need to have the five basic food groups – grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and fats- but spiritually all we need is Him.

Much of the time, we can say these words and maybe feel slightly better, but He means it! I know that a while ago there was a time where this verse was very important to me. I was in a tough financial spot and so for a period of time God was providing what I needed. I recall visiting a local church and I was given a loaf of bread when I left. Now it was not a regular long boxy loaf such as you would find in a supermarket, it was round. It was covered in cheese and garlic and had some tomatoes baked on top. They did not know this at that church when they gave it to me, but that was my lunch for the rest of the week. When I ran out, something else came up that supplied nourishment, when that supply finished, something else happened. This was a wonderful period of time for me where I learned how George Muller felt when he penned these words: “For above fifty years I have now walked, by His grace, in a path of complete reliance upon Him who is the faithful one, for everything I have needed; and yet I am increasingly convinced that it is by His help alone I am enabled to continue in this course; for, if left to myself, even after the precious enjoyment so long experienced of walking thus in fellowship with God, I should yet be tempted to abandon this path of entire dependence upon Him. To His praise, however, I am able to state that for more than half a century I have never had the least desire to do so.”

God provided for me what I needed, when I needed it. Funds came at the needed time, often just as I would need them. I would get overtime at work and just as that paycheck would come with the extra money, the exact amount extra would be required to take care of something that had happened, whether it was buying a new tire for my car, or getting my computer fixed after a lightning strike, or for the un-budgeted for fuel surcharge the electric company added to my bill this past winter.

As I needed, He provided. He has been faithful indeed! He provides both physically and spiritually all I need for the moment. “Give us today our daily bread” becomes all we need. Patience is given us not a jot more than we need, just as He also provides a timely thought or quote that we will immediately turn around and use to further His glory. Today, I leave you all with this final quote to think about (also by George Muller):

“God, God alone became my portion. I found my all in Him; I wanted nothing else. And by the grace of God this has remained, and has made me a happy man, an exceedingly happy man, and it led me to care only about the things of God. I ask affectionately, my beloved brethren, have you fully surrendered the heart to God, or is there this thing or that thing with which you are taken up irrespective of God?”

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

“Your Kingdom come”
A prayer we can all pray is this, to see God's kingdom happening. Remember that Christ rules not over a physical kingdom, a physical nation, but rather a spiritual nation, a nation of fellowship with Him. He is the big brother to us, Our heavenly Father's adopted children. To see His kingdom happening is to see His work being done and to see the effect that we, the citizens of Heaven have on Earth, bringing more people to be fellow citizens, fellow children, and fellow redeemed. God's kingdom is now – always and eternally now. We just need to ask to be shown it and His glory.

“Your will be done”
God's will is always done by those who truly seek after Him. This is a prayer that is highly damaging to us and our independence. We are praying that God will override us and our desires with His will and His desires. We are praying that despite what we and our earthly bodies want, God's desires must be over all. This is painful to us in every way. Secondly, this is our prayer that God will transform our will to His and make them the same, so that God's will is not merely overpowering our own, but that God's will has actually become ours as well! Thus we are not battling Him in the freedom of choice that He has given us, but our freedom of choice has become Him and all that He wants, and so no longer do we battle Him in our daily desires, but we battle for Him to help our brothers and sisters grow closer to Him as well!

“on Earth as it is in Heaven”
Heaven is the place of God's abode. But wait! He also lives in our hearts and our souls and our bodies and our minds and our strength! God is in all and is everywhere! Wherever can we go that God is not? Where can we go that God's will and kingdom are not the most important things, that they are not the objects we should cherish most? No where! Earth is as much the Lord's as Heaven is. The only difference between Heaven and Earth is that Heaven is in the immediate presence of the Lord, the Christ, and all the saints who have gone before us. Heaven is where we are all together in beautiful fellowship before the throne of the universe! Earth is the training ground, the battlefield, the refining fire that teaches and molds us towards all we aspire to: namely the pursuit of the Christ-fixated life!

Where is our will? Where do we see God's kingdom most clearly and where is it the hardest to spot? What can we do to spread His glory and His fame and His kingdom? Think and pray and when you have been shown the answer, seek and follow Him in all you do.