Send it away

I just finished listening to a message by Rob Bell on Matthew 6 and particularly what we refer to as "The Lord's Prayer", and once again I am challenged and inspired by his words. And please don't send me messages of warning and doom for listening to him. A couple of main points really stood out in his message; The first being that if we pray, really pray the prayer it has a way of putting everything in perspective. What are my little concerns when compared to the greatness of My Father in Heaven, Who's name is hallowed and Who's Kingdom will come in totality one day? The second and most convicting point to me has to do with this business of forgiving others; ""forgive us as we forgive out debtors".."For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your heavenly Father will not forgive your transgressions." OUCH! If you have that one figured out completely, please let me in on it..God's love and forgiveness is complete in Christ's finished work on the cross. So then how does He NOT forgive us? Is it more that we cannot walk in the experience of His ongoing forgiveness? Is it that "Jesus people" are forgiving people and if you cannot forgive then perhaps you are not His? Is it that the flow of grace can become stopped up by our unforgiving spirit? So many questions.
What I do know is this; He is pleased with me as His child when I act like my Father. He forgives and so I should forgive. His Spirit is alive and well in me and even when I find it hard to forgive I can step aside and let Him live His life through me.
According to my Greek Key word study Bible the word used here is aphiemi, which means "to send"...or to let go, send away, release etc. We carry offenses and we hold grudges, and man do they get heavy. Our Lord tells us here in Matt 6 how to be free, truly free...send it away, let it go, put down the jawbone. Perhaps today is the day....