"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him,
so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." - Mark 11:25
On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech to the AFL-CIO at the
Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. At 2:30 p.m., accompanied by Secret Service and
aides, the President walked out of the ballroom and through the lobby. He was on
his way to a waiting limousine and waving at the friendly crowd of reporters and
onlookers when a young man, John Hinckley Jr., went into a shooter's crouch and
fired six shots. The shots struck the President in the chest just 1 inch from
his heart, Presidential Press Secretary James Brady in the brain, Secret Service
Agent Timothy McCarthy in the stomach, and Metropolitan Police Officer Thomas
Delahant in the neck.
Though it was a serious situation, Reagan reacted in a casual manner and even
whispered to his wife at George Washington Hospital, "Honey, I forgot to duck."
Reagan's attitude made a strong impression on his daughter, Patti Davis. She
said: "The following day my father said he knew his physical healing was
directly dependent on his ability to forgive John Hinckley. By showing me that
forgiveness is the key to everything, including physical health and healing, he
gave me an example of Christ-like thinking."
Do you need to forgive someone? Today in prayer, if you hold anything against
anyone, forgive him, so your Heavenly Father may forgive you.
"Only one petition in the Lord's Prayer has any condition attached to it: it is
the petition for forgiveness." - William Law
God's Word: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you." - Matthew 6:14
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2002, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN MARK
pkennedy@devotional.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.