Wednesday. [Eph. 3:8-21; Mark 11:23-26]

   If you do not forgive others’ trespasses against you, then your heavenly Father will not forgive you your trespasses, said the Lord. Who does not forgive others? A righteous person, or one who considers himself righteous. To such a person nothing remains other than to judge, pronounce sentences, and demand execution of the guilty. Does a man who feels guilty have any time for others? Would his tongue dare to judge another and demand gratification from him, when his own conscience unceasingly convicts and unceasingly threatens him with God’s righteous judgment? So, is it better to sin than to be self-righteous? No, in every way be zealous for righteousness; but with all of your righteousness, recognize that you are an unworthy slave, and recognize this with undivided thought—that is, not that the thought of your unworthiness is in the foreground, while the feeling of righteousness hides in the background, but preserve a full awareness and feeling of yourself as unworthy. When you attain this, (and you must work for this, for it is not acquired suddenly), then no matter how your brother trespasses against you, you will not call him to account, because your conscience will be repeating: “and you do not deserve this only, it is not enough for you.” Then you will forgive him; and having forgiven, you yourself will be made worthy of forgiveness. So for your whole life let there be forgiveness after forgiveness, and at the judgment all will be forgiven you.