(Matt. 6:12,14-15) “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.””... For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Prayer without forgiveness is dead. The prayers of an unforgiving Christian cannot be honored by God. Why? Because God commanded that those who seek forgiveness must not harbor unforgiveness in their hearts. Being offended is just a part of life, therefore how we handle those that offend us determines not just our fellowship with God but answered prayers. (Eph. 4:32) “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” We therefore must forgive others with just as much forgiveness as God has given to us! So, what happens to a Christian that does not practice forgiveness. 1) He Loses his fellowship with God. (Ps 66:18) “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” Harboring the sin of unforgiveness is not only a bad idea, but its a sin that leads one into a whole group of other sins such as hatred, bitterness, resentment, anger, evil speaking, and the like. 2) He grieves the Holy Spirit. Grieving means that God’s Spirit is offended by one’s carnal behavior and cannot work. Though the Christian does not lose his/her salvation, he does lose the power and fellowship of The Spirit, as well as God’s ear in prayer 3) He also loses his joy. There is a great joy in a personal relationship with Jesus, but also a lack of joy when we do not love God and others the way we ought. Jesus said, (Jn 15:11-12) “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. this is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Forgiveness not only restores our fellowship with God, but it also opens up the door to love and joy as well.
(Matt. 2:11) “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts;...” Christmas is all about the giving of gifts ; God gave the world Jesus (Jn.3:16), and here we see the wise men giving gifts as well. I think that in many ways, gifts are the real reason that the world enjoys Christmas time, but to those of us that understand God’s purpose in sending His Son Jesus, we love this season for a different reason. The Biblical account doesn’t say how many wise men came from the east seeking Jesus, but it does tell us that they gave three different types of gifts; 1) Gold . In Jesus’ day gold was given to honor new kings, and to increase their wealth. Gold also represents the very best that God had to give to us but also the very best man should give to God. 2) Frankincense was the incense burned in the temple of Solomon. It represented praise, pra
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