In Psalm 23, I find it interesting that “forgive us our debts” follows, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Right after asking God to give us bread, we are asking Him to forgive us our debts. I submit to you there must be a connection between these two requests. I believe “un-forgiveness” will stifle the leaven out of the rest. What’s the whole purpose of leaven? Leaven makes the bread dough rise as it is resting and continues to help the bread rise while it is baking.
There is nothing better than the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven. Can you smell it? Does it make you hungry?
If you are harboring un-forgiveness, God cannot take you to the place he wants you to be – the place of freedom, rest and rising above your situation. If you hold onto un-forgiveness it turns into anger. Anger turns into bitterness and God’s Holy Spirit is stifled. You, nor your prayers, can rise as incense to the Father. Just as flat bread is absent from leavening, your prayers become flat. Flat indicates hurried. When in a hurry, you take no time to search your heart to see if there is any wicked way in you. The Bible tells us in Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart; the Lord cannot hear my prayer.”
We want to be a sweet smelling savor to the world and to the nostrils of our God. When we harbor anger, bitterness and strife our smell is less than appealing.
No one loves to eat “flat bread.” We may choose the flat version for calories sake but certainly not for the texture nor for densities sake. Jesus calls Himself the Bread of Life. Oh how we need to take this Bread into our souls on a daily basis. He will strengthen us and sustain us with His daily Bread. Oh dear one, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Why does God forgive us so quickly and thoroughly? According to 1 John 2:12, “…Your sins are forgiven you for His Name’s sake.” The verb forgiven here, is perfect tense indicating our sins have been put away permanently.
Psalm 103:12 tells us, “God has removed them from us as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more.”
God forgives us for His Name’s sake.
He is a gracious, merciful, forgiving God. That’s who He is. This type of forgiveness is hard for us to understand. Why? Human beings tend to forgive conditionally. We say, “I forgive you, but…” God said I forgive you and He gave His only begotten Son to die in our place. There are no buts in God’s economy of forgiveness. We now have the promise of eternal life in heaven; as well as abundant life on earth.
Let’s examine the compound word (forgive) for and give:
- For is a preposition which means the object or purpose of, intended to belong to.
- Give means to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation.
Through Jesus Christ, we are the object or purpose of His gift of eternal life. Just as we need provision for daily bread, our Lord intends for us to have His provision for Salvation. Jesus presented His life voluntarily in exchange for ours. He made us the object or purpose of His perfect life in exchange for our forgiveness and eternal life.
God knows we need help in forgiving. Are you harboring any un-forgiveness in your heart? You and God alone know the truthful answer to that question. If it is weighing you down dear one, I pray you will release it to God.
God has raised you up by the blood of Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the spiritual leavening that longs to raise you up. Just like leaven is sealed inside of our daily bread, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. He is our treasure, that causes us to rise above the sin that so easily besets us.
1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins; He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Please accept God’s forgiveness for your soul and then give it out to anyone you may have not forgiven. Why? For Christ’s sake. The One who died for your sins longs for you to for-give those who have ought against you. Precious one, you will experience true freedom in Christ. Your prayers will rise as incense, as a sweet and pleasing aroma, before the throne room of your Lord.
