Bottom Line: Forgive

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. [Ephesians 3.10-11]

When Jesus taught us to pray for God's will on earth as it is in heaven, it was for the specific purpose of displaying His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

The apostle Paul was clued in to this fact. It is obvious in the following:

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. [Ephesians 3.14-21]

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit: Paul reveals here that he truly grasps the "as it is in heaven" part of the prayer Jesus taught us all to pray.

But Paul also reveals that he understands fully the love and forgiveness of God found in Christ that is our power on earth. How wide, how long, how high, and how deep is the love of God? So much that He forgave the world.

So, our duty is to follow the example of Jesus:

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. [Ephesians 5.2]

But back in chapter 3 we see that until we have the love (forgiveness) of God deep down in our lives, we will not experience the life and power that comes from God!

Bottom line: Forgive

Father, You have given us every example of how we are to live in Christ - starting with forgiveness.