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Divine Imperatives August 31 Devotional

by David Joynt on August 31, 2023


MATTHEW 6:12 | 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

 

Compartmentalization is an enemy of spiritual growth. We can never isolate our life with God from our life with others. Jesus tells us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, to the extent that we forgive those who owe us.” This makes our forgiveness contingent upon our own practice of forgiveness. It ties the health of our relationship with God to the health of our relationships with others.

 

Seeking reconciliation with other people will deepen our relationship with God. It is a courageous act of obedience, a way to develop and enhance community, and an opportunity to exercise our faith that God will heal our relationships.

 

Who needs your forgiveness? Who do you need forgiveness from?

 

 

Gracious God,

We trust You will be our guide as we seek deeper relationships. Repair the places where trust has been lost or egos bruised.

Amen.

 

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

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