Forgive and Forget

I feel I owe an apology to many of you. I have failed as a friend, a brother, a son. 


I have really been challenged by this one thing called the Bible. It is super uplifting, and I have a difficult time making through my day without reading it. However, it drastically messes things up. 


Ephesians 4:1 says, "I, a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ, implore you to walk in a manner worth of the calling with which you have been called."  One, that gets me asking what have I been called to do with my life? And two, once I figure out what I am called to do, how must I walk? What do I have to change? 


As I have been praying and studying and reading, I am finding that my calling does not lie in journalism, baseball, missions, or even family. My calling, along with each of yours, is to be 100% obedient to the Lord. 


Well, I am sure if you are a Christian you have probably heard that one before, but the next question is how do I know what He wants. The answer is simple. God gave us the Bible, it is 100% truth, He manifest Himself in us through the Holy Spirit, and through the Holy Spirit we can communicate through prayer. By allowing the Holy Spirit and the Bible to speak to and for us, we are able to clearly see how we are to obey.


For me to continue to walk in a way worthy of our calling, lets look at the Lord's Prayer

"Our Father who is in Heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Thy kingdom come.

Your will be done, 

On earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

We are all pretty familiar with that prayer. It comes from Matthew 6:9-13. One thing that I have never latched on to is the phrase, "as we also have forgiven our debtors." I pay attention to the "forgive us" part, but in my selfishness fail to see that I also have to forgive in my prayers. 

Have you ever read on just past the Lord's prayer? The first two verses are very interesting. Verses 14 and 15 say,

"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

I have found those verses pounding on my heart like a hammer on a nail over the past few days. I want to say that I have made a pact to forgive, not because I want to be forgiven, but because of my desire to lead a life that is worthy of the calling with which we have been called. 

For those of you at home, I look forward to see you all again and seeing what the Lord is doing in your lives.