Forgive So That You Will be Forgiven.

Mark 11:25
25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

The main idea in today's Bible verse is that you have to forgive others in order for God to forgive you. Notice that the operative phrase is "so that." This is critical when it comes to understanding consequences such as the following:
1. Put your dinner in the microwave, so that it won't be cold
2. Fold your clothes, so that there won't be any wrinkles.
3. Go to sleep early tonight, so that you will be well-rested by the morning.

"So that" almost indicates a cause and effect relationship. Additionally, the first part part of the sentence before "so that" must be true in order for the second part of the sentence to be true. This idiom is definitely a sentence structure element.

In context, we are told that we should "forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." The carefully placed phrase "so that" implies that if we fail to express a forgiving heart to one another, then what's to say we deserve God's forgiveness?

Think about it; when we say the Lord's prayer we're asking for forgiveness as we promise to forgive others: "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Do you think you're doing a sufficient job forgiving others and thus you're able to receive God's total forgiveness?

If you're struggling with a certain situation, you may want to talk it out with someone. Certainly, go to the Lord and ask him to fill you with his wisdom. God, may we be wiling to forgive others so that we can experience your total forgiveness.