Lesson 14: Prayer and Forgiveness

Being right with God is only half the picture. If you want your prayers to be effective, the stipulation is clear: you must be right with others as well. Living a life of love toward others is not only one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith, it is also an essential ingredient to effectual prayer. Faith and Love go hand in hand. Love and Forgiveness are inseparable. You can't have one without the other. You can't expect a real and lively prayer-life to exist apart from the way you act or feel toward other people - all of whom, incidentally, God loves immensely. We demonstrate our love for the imperfect people around us by readily offering mercy and forgiveness when they hurt or do us wrong. We demonstrate our faith in God's love for us in these sometimes daily acts of selfless forgiveness. In fact, God even says that He bases His willingness to forgive upon the degree that we are willing to forgive others. This is a good opportunity to check our relationships. What needs to be forgiven? Who needs to experience some of God's love through you today?