The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church of Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Thursday, 30 November 2017 "No Records" by Charles Huff (Illinois) - Matthew 6:9-13
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2017
When I was a child my mom preferred to buy meats from a small grocery store south of town. Occasionally, Mom did not have enough money for her purchases. Mr. Holler, the grocer, would say, “No problem.” He pulled out her customer card and wrote the amount owed. The next time Mom was in the area, she would pay the balance. Keeping tabs — as it was called — continues to be practiced in other ways. We may keep a mental record of when we have been ignored, offended, or hurt. But unlike Mr. Holler, we seldom pull out the accounts and mark the debt paid. The tab sits in the back of our minds ready for us to add to it. Jesus reminded us of the importance of forgiveness in the prayer recorded in today’s reading: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Jesus declared and showed his love for us by forgiving us completely. We have been called to love others as Jesus does. That means we are called to forgive even when others don’t ask for it. When we no longer maintain a record in our minds bearing that person’s name and a list of offenses, we can know that we have been able to forgive the way Jesus does.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Dear God, remind us of how much we have been forgiven so we will resolve to forgive and to love the way Jesus taught us. Amen.
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Matthew 6:9 You, therefore, pray like this:
‘Our Father in heaven!
May your Name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
11 Give us the food we need today.
12 Forgive us what we have done wrong,
as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us.
13 And do not lead us into hard testing,
but keep us safe from the Evil One.
[Matthew 6:13 The latter half of verse 13 is not found in the oldest manuscripts.]For kingship, power and glory are yours forever.
Amen.’
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Whom is Jesus nudging me to forgive today?
Someone I need to forgive
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Header Photo Credit: "Harvested Land," Beth Shumate. August 15, 2014. (link)
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