Acts 7:60
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
Reflection:
How much better would the world be if people prayed this quick prayer every day! How much better would your life be if you prayed this quick prayer every time you saw or read about someone sinning! Our inclination is often quite the opposite, and it goes something like this: “Wow, that is a horrible person!” Think about what thoughts and emotions follow that quick thought. Usually, after such a thought, you are thinking thoughts like, “I dislike that person,” or “I’m glad I am not that way,” or “that person should suffer.” Imagine if you replaced that thought with this quick prayer: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” How much happier you will be! This prayer will set your mind and your heart in the right direction! Instead of being an arrogant and hateful hypocrite, you will train yourself to respond to everyone with love. You will train your mind to be gracious instead of condemning. You will be reminded of your own sin and your immense gratitude that grace of God toward you! How wonderful it is, Christian, that Jesus did not look at you in your sin and have His final thought be, “Wow, what a horrible person!” How wonderful it is that Christ said instead, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
If you understand the context of this verse, then you will be immediately reminded not only of the beauty of these words but of how you really have no excuse for continuing in hatred toward others. Stephen was in the process of being stoned to death for proclaiming the truth of the gospel. While being murdered, this is what he prayed for those who were killing him: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
When you find yourself grieved by someone else today, instead of the typical judgmental response that only fills your heart with bitterness, try this prayer instead: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
In Christ,
Pastor Yonkman