“As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.””

Mark 11:20-25 ESV

http://bible.com/59/mrk.11.20-25.esv

All,

This stands out because Jesus says, “And whenever you stand praying, forgive”. Does this seem odd to transition from faith to forgiveness? Why is forgiveness so important to Jesus? He knows it hurts us more than it hurts the other person. It’s been said, “it’s like taking poison and hoping the other person dies”. Unforgiveness also shows our pride and our lack of understanding for what Christ did for us. Please pray that we and our friends forgive. Please pray for Mike Hepler as he recovers from Brain surgery.