“If you forgive other people when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your
Father will not forgive your sins.” - Matthew 6:14-15
Contagious Forgiveness*
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your
Father will not forgive your sins.” - Matthew 6:14-15
Contagious Forgiveness*
Jesus’ teaching here at the end of the Lord’s Prayer might be confusing. It almost sounds as if we have to earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. But we also know that through faith in Jesus, we are already forgiven by God (Acts 2:38; Romans 3-8). So we need a different kind of thinking here.
Think of an old kitchen sponge that hasn’t been used for a long time. When you put it under the tap, the water runs right over the sponge. But if you set the sponge in a bucket of water for a few minutes, it softens and becomes usable again.
Our hearts can be like that too. When we hold onto resentments and bitterness, nursing our anger, we can become as hard as a rock, and God’s grace for us will be like water running over a rock. It doesn’t soak in.
But when we are open to forgiving others, we become soft like a moistened sponge. The Lord’s deep grace soaks in and saturates our hearts, and we become available to share his grace. Just as a wet sponge moistens other things when it touches them, we can share grace, helping to wipe others’ dirt away as we forgive others. As Colossians 3:13 puts it, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Dying to our accumulated resentment, anger, and bitterness softens our hearts to receive God’s amazing grace and to share it freely with others.
Think of an old kitchen sponge that hasn’t been used for a long time. When you put it under the tap, the water runs right over the sponge. But if you set the sponge in a bucket of water for a few minutes, it softens and becomes usable again.
Our hearts can be like that too. When we hold onto resentments and bitterness, nursing our anger, we can become as hard as a rock, and God’s grace for us will be like water running over a rock. It doesn’t soak in.
But when we are open to forgiving others, we become soft like a moistened sponge. The Lord’s deep grace soaks in and saturates our hearts, and we become available to share his grace. Just as a wet sponge moistens other things when it touches them, we can share grace, helping to wipe others’ dirt away as we forgive others. As Colossians 3:13 puts it, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Dying to our accumulated resentment, anger, and bitterness softens our hearts to receive God’s amazing grace and to share it freely with others.
有感染力的饒恕*
「『你們饒恕人的過犯，你們的
天父也必饒恕你們的過犯；
你們不饒恕人的過犯，你們的
天父也必不饒恕你們的過犯。』」
- 太 6:14-15
「『你們饒恕人的過犯，你們的
天父也必饒恕你們的過犯；
你們不饒恕人的過犯，你們的
天父也必不饒恕你們的過犯。』」
- 太 6:14-15
耶穌在主禱文結尾時的教導，可能會令人感到困惑。祂似乎在說，我們要藉著饒恕人來賺取神的饒恕。然而我們也知道，因著對耶穌的信心，我們已經蒙神饒恕了（使徒行傳 2:38；羅馬書3–8）。所以，我們需要從另一個角度來理解這段話所說的意思。
想像一塊很久沒有用過的廚房海綿，當你放它在水龍頭下面時，水只能滑過那塊海綿，但如果你把它浸在一桶水裏數分鐘，它便會變軟，可以使用了。
我們的心也和這塊海綿相似。我們若不肯放下埋怨和憤恨、繼續懷恨在心，我們便會變成一個鐵石心腸的人，神對我們的恩典就像水流過石頭那樣，石頭是不會被水滲透的。
然而，當我們願意饒恕人時，我們便能像一塊潤濕的海綿那麼柔軟了。主深厚的恩典滲透和充滿我們的心靈，我們便能夠與人分享祂的恩典了。潤濕的海綿碰到的東西都會會變得潤濕，同樣，我們饒恕人時，我們也能夠與人分享這份恩典、幫助他們抹去自身的罪污，就如歌羅西書 3:13所說的：「主怎樣饒恕了你們，你們也要怎樣饒恕人。」
治死我們積藏下來的埋怨、忿怒、和憤恨，能够軟化我們的心靈，這樣我們便能夠接受神奇妙的恩典，並且樂意與人分享了。
* 取自《每日箴言灵修》（普世佳音）Back To God Ministeries International, 09/12/2020
想像一塊很久沒有用過的廚房海綿，當你放它在水龍頭下面時，水只能滑過那塊海綿，但如果你把它浸在一桶水裏數分鐘，它便會變軟，可以使用了。
我們的心也和這塊海綿相似。我們若不肯放下埋怨和憤恨、繼續懷恨在心，我們便會變成一個鐵石心腸的人，神對我們的恩典就像水流過石頭那樣，石頭是不會被水滲透的。
然而，當我們願意饒恕人時，我們便能像一塊潤濕的海綿那麼柔軟了。主深厚的恩典滲透和充滿我們的心靈，我們便能夠與人分享祂的恩典了。潤濕的海綿碰到的東西都會會變得潤濕，同樣，我們饒恕人時，我們也能夠與人分享這份恩典、幫助他們抹去自身的罪污，就如歌羅西書 3:13所說的：「主怎樣饒恕了你們，你們也要怎樣饒恕人。」
治死我們積藏下來的埋怨、忿怒、和憤恨，能够軟化我們的心靈，這樣我們便能夠接受神奇妙的恩典，並且樂意與人分享了。
* 取自《每日箴言灵修》（普世佳音）Back To God Ministeries International, 09/12/2020
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