And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12
The verse is in two parts and we will look at those parts in turn. If we look at it the way Jesus presents it here, metaphorically, as a balance sheet, we could call it payables and receivables — that which we owe and that which is owed to us. So, we begin with our debts, not usually a very pleasant subject, but nonetheless, those debts have to be faced up to either now or later. When it comes to the debt we owe the Lord, it is much better to deal with it now, through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus than to wait until Judgment Day and stand before the Lord with no one to intercede on our behalf. The fact is, we all owed a debt to the Lord that we could never pay; the penalty for sin is death.
If we consider everything the Lord has done for us, His forgiveness, His grace, His mercy, His patience, His lovingkindness. On and on we could go and never recount all that we owe Him. And for all of this what do we have with which to repay Him? Nothing. It is important to remember every day the multitude of God’s kindnesses toward you and to maintain a humble and grateful heart before Him.
And now to the second part of the verse; that which is owed to us. There is a little word that connects the two parts of this verse, and it will help you to get this second part in order. What if you were to ask the Lord every day to treat you in the same way that you treat others. You want the Lord to be patient with you when you offend Him, even though He has given you more than a few chances in the past, still you stumble once again. You don’t want the Lord to hold unforgiveness against you, even though you have no reason to ask it of Him except that you know of His unending love for you.
So, what if you were to say to the Lord, “Lord, forgive me of all that I have done to offend and hurt you just as I forgive those who have offended and hurt me. Use the same measurement with me that I use with them. Forgive and forget my offences just as I forgive and forget their offences toward me.” “Father, love me as if I had never sinned against You exactly as I love others, keeping no record of a wrong suffered.”
What a wonderful life we have as Christians, to know our Heavenly Father’s perfect love. Every morning, His steadfast love is new. When He forgives, He forgets. Think about how far out of His way Jesus went to seek us out and find us and redeem us. He left the glory of Heaven to come live and die on this earth just for you and me. What love.
But remember, every day, that is just one side of the ledger. You have the opportunity to balance the books — to give to your debtors what Jesus has given to you. Forgiveness.