Today's Verse: Mark 11:25

Thursday, November 25, 2004

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
Now you can listen to Today's Verse on iTunes, Spotify, Echo devices, and more!

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

This passage is one of the most challenging reminders of God's will in Scripture. I MUST forgive others! When I refuse to forgive, I build a dam, stopping the stream of forgiveness God longs to give me. Forgiving others is seldom easy. It is often quite difficult and painful. However, God has commanded us to do it and given us his Son as an example of how to forgive (Luke 23:34). Jesus has promised to empower us to do his will by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-21) as we are transformed to become like him (2 Corinthians 3:18). The real issue: Will I let go of my bitterness toward those who have wounded me? Yet when we harbor bitterness and unforgiveness, we hold ourselves hostage to our hate and resentment. As the saying says, "Forgiveness is setting the captive bird free, then realizing you were the captive bird!"

My Prayer...

Dear God, I confess this is a hard command. But, dear Father, I want to forgive these people (please add the names you are committing to forgive) of the sin they have committed against me. Please block cynicism and bitterness from my heart. Please empower me to forgive as Jesus did. Please pour your Holy Spirit into my heart and fill me with love and forgiveness. In addition, dear Father, please teach me what my commitment to forgive means for the genuine life changes I need to make. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

3 Related Resources by Heartlight

Illustration

Illustration of Mark 11:25 — "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Thursday, November 25, 2004

A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day."
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
"Dear Father, from whom all power comes, Help me to show proper respect for the duly constituted authority of government. Help me to do what is good,...."
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
"All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. In [Christ] you were circumcised. It was not a circumcision..."
A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage.
"God has wisely kept us in the dark concerning future events and reserved for himself the knowledge of them, that he may train us up in a dependence upon himself..."

About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.