Start your day with quick daily devotions: February 17, 2021

Scripture Reading - Matthew 18: 21-35 "This is how my Heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart." - Matthew 18:35 Do you know the phrase quid pro quo? It is Latin and means "this for that" or, in other words, "Do it for me and I will do it for you". At first glance, this may seem like the meaning of the fifth petition of the Our Father: "Forgive us our debts, for we too have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12), or "Forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone too. sins against us ”(Luke 11: 4). And we might say, “Wait, isn't God's grace and forgiveness unconditional? If we have to forgive to receive forgiveness, isn't that a quid pro quo? ”No. The Bible teaches that we are all guilty before God and cannot earn forgiveness. Jesus stood in our place and carried the punishment for our sins on the cross. Through Jesus, we are righteous to God, an act of pure grace. This is really good news!

We cannot earn forgiveness, but the way we live shows how open we are to being changed by the Lord's grace. Because we have been forgiven, Jesus calls us to show forgiveness to people who sin against us. If we refuse to forgive others, we stubbornly refuse to see that we ourselves need forgiveness. When we pray: “Forgive our sins, for we too forgive. . . "Is not" this for that "but more like" this out of that ". Because we are forgiven, we can show forgiveness to others. Prayer: Father, from the depths of your mercy, you have forgiven our many sins. Help us to forgive anyone who sins against us. Amen.