God expects a fruit of faith that is revealed in our forgiving spirit.  In Mark 11:25 we read; “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

If we refuse to forgive someone, we are saying that people need to atone for or suffer the consequences of their sins, before they can be forgiven.  If we refuse to forgive, we are not believing or trusting in God’s promise of total forgiveness.  When we have a forgiving spirit toward others, revealing the fruit of our faith in God, notice the verse says, “Your father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Again, we are provided with an example of the fruit of forgiveness in Christ when he is on the cross.  It is there, he prays, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”  Not only is it God’s will for all men be saved, but we see forgiveness—even for his enemies and those who have wronged him. 

Our faith is revealed in our spirit of forgiveness.  God wants to display His forgiveness through us.  Our fruits of forgiveness can be revealed in whatever moments he places before us in our lives; whether it be in family relationships or at work.  Our Lord is in control of every moment and nothing can enter into our lives without His permission.  Sometimes they may be very difficult circumstances which may require our forgiveness.  Then, it is the Spirit in us that is received by faith, which allows us to respond the way God expects us to respond. 

The bottom line is trusting God’s promise that our faith in God will show.  By being connected to Christ, our fruit will grow.  When there are times when we struggle in responding to others in a fruitful way, when our prayer life seems weak, than we don’t look within ourselves as to object of our faith to figure out if our faith is strong or not, but we look to the cross that leads to our Savior.