The Miracle of Genuine Forgiveness

Romans 12:18- "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

Peace with others is a wonderful thing, but not always possible. Peace always begins with God. If we aren't at peace with God, then we can never have peace with ourselves. If we aren't at peace with ourselves, then we can never have peace with others. It seems that all the beauty contestants say that their wish is for world peace. Great idea, but it's a pipe dream if God isn't at the center of it. Without God in my life, I hate myself and everyone and everything I come into contact with. Without God, all of creation is a potential enemy. Once God is in the picture, it changes my view of all of creation. Even when there is inevitable conflict, because I have peace with God and with myself, I can and should have a different view of those with whom I'm in conflict.

Matthew 5:44: "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

If God can love me to the point of dying for me while I was His enemy, then He gives me the supernatural power to love those with whom I have conflict. That doesn't mean that we have to agree or approve of them or their actions. It doesn't mean that we have to act like everything's cool and sing kumbaya and pretend to be friends. It does mean that we should pray for God's best for their lives, not enter into gossip about them, and keep no record of wrong. This is NOT humanly possible. That's what makes it a God thing. If you want proof for the existence of God, then look no further than this. If, as a believer, you can love your enemy, that is as much proof of the supernatural as walking on the water. Today, I'm stepping out of the boat.

Smugness

Have you smuged anyone lately? Smugness is the opinion that our own views are always right, and it's our mission in life to prove others wrong. God calls us to "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly." Smugness is the opposite of humility. Smugness is a certainty that our view is right, that our approach is justified, and that the ends justifies the means.


In a recent project that I've thrown myself into, I made it clear that I believed that I was following God's call in my life. I still believe that, but I'm also very aware of my own failings and weaknesses. Because of this, I asked my wife to hold me accountable and my pastor to let me know if they felt that I was straying into questionable territory or generally making a fool of myself and tainting my testimony. Humility is about recognizing that there's only one God and I'm not him.

This short article from Sojourners is right on the mark. There are things about which we can have certainty, but that list is very short. When it comes to the other things, we need to be willing to say "From what I understand, this is what I believe, but I'd like to hear what you think." In the church, it's supposed to be a case of iron sharpening iron, which means that we need to hear each other out with an open mind and heart, consider the rare possibility that we don't have all the answers ( or at least that the answers we have, may not all be correct ), and not draw lines in the sand so easily. I've certainly been guilty of that over the years. Only God has all the answers, and when we are more concerned with winning arguments then openly hearing other people out, then we give credence to the world's opinion that Christians can't seem to get along with anyone.

I've moved into a place in my walk with God where I've told Him that my answer is yes to anything He wants, but along with that comes the realization that I have to be willing to allow Him to tear me down to the very foundation of my being and rebuild me ( politically, socially, artistically, philosophically, culturally, intrinsically ... anything which constitutes my identity ). There's a lot of garbage and nonsense bouncing around in my noggin that doesn't serve me or the kingdom, so I have to daily ask Him, "Is my view on this issue or my response to this problem Your view or mine?" I have a pretty good idea that when I disagree with someone, and I'm more concerned about proving them wrong, than with getting the mind of Christ, there's still a lot of work ahead. My heart felt apologies to anyone who has been a victim of my drive by smugings. I don't have all the answers, but my hope is that if I develop a truly Christ like humility that I'll be more successful in pointing people to someone who does have all the answers.

Justice With Mercy

Been learning a lot from the Lord lately, and thoughts keep going through my head. Thinking today about our local police officer who was indicted for murder and what awaits him. From the first day, I've said that we weren't interested in revenge, but in justice. Now I'm praying for mercy for him. This brings to mind the biblical connection between justice and mercy. Is it possible to have true mercy without justice or vice versa?


There are parallels to this case and God's divine view of justice with mercy. We were created by God, in His very image, but we rebelled and have from our start, waged open war on God. Now, He had two options:

- ( The cover up approach ) He could have said, "Well, it's no big deal. They kill each other. They steal from each other. They lie and show little concern for others, but I'm just going to ignore it. Maybe, if they do something nice every once and a while, I'll look the other way." Is that mercy? No, because mercy without justice is simply numbness. Mercy without justice means that God is no better than the people He forgives, and it means that the people never really change. They just go on living selfishly, and God does nothing about it.

- ( The hang 'em high approach ) On the other hand, He could have said, "You people are nothing but a disappointment to me. I created you to be like me, and all you do is hurt each other, so I'm going to wipe you out, send you to hell to be punished for eternity, and wipe my hands of you." Is that justice? Not really, because real justice is not concerned with punishment, for the sake of punishment. The purpose of real justice is RESTORATION. If God had done this, then He would have been no better than the people He was punishing.

The model which God give us is justice with mercy, with the goal of restoring us to our creator. We see this time and again in the pages of the Bible: 

• Moses in his anger kills an Egyptian overlord. 
• David, wants Bathsheba so badly that he murders her husband so he can have her to himself. 
• Paul, in religious intolerance, persecutes and murders many early Christians. 

God doesn't ignore any of those acts. He condemns them. He doesn't look the other way and pretend like they didn't happen. They were each confronted and each lost something as a result of their actions. On the other hand, God is merciful to each of them. He doesn't say that their lives are defined only by those acts of disobedience. He provides justice with mercy, for the purpose of restoring them and bringing about a greater good.
The ultimate display of this bond between justice and mercy is the cross. We had a debt that had to be paid, if God was to be just. But we were broken and impoverished. Rather than being sent to an eternal debtors prison, God provided the payment in full ..  Himself. In doing this, He calls us into a relationship with Him ... a partnership, where He provides forgiveness, the resources and desire to change, and a road map to follow. In return, we give Him our willingness to become like Him. 


God is just. He won't look the other way when we reject Him and cause harm to ourselves and others. 


God is merciful. He seeks to restore us, giving up His only Son in order to accomplish that restoration. 


Justice and mercy. I want to see that for this officer and all involved in this local shooting, because it's what God saw fit to offer me, and I'm so very grateful that He did.

Dealing with Friendly Fire

When David was a young man he had great faith in God to protect and deliver him. When Goliath came along, everyone said that he was too big and couldn't be defeated, but David said "who is this Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?". He knew that God was bigger and would defeat this giant. You'd think that faith like this would have been met with encouragement by his own people. Unfortunately, scripture says:

"When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?”

Often, the first giant that you must face, when you are trying to be obedient to God's call in your life, is from those who should be supporting your step of faith. Don't be distracted or waste time there. Move on to the real giant and don't lose heart. God is still bigger.

Lamentations

Lamentations 3:22-24 "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."


Doesn't sound like "lamenting" to me. So grateful to know that my life has purpose, that God is merciful to me, and that He isn't capricious and changing like people are. People change. They can be supportive and kind one day and mean and destructive the next. That's the nature of man, but God's nature is one of unending mercy. He shows his kindness to me daily, and believe me when I say that His faithfulness is great. As Tony the Tiger used to say "It's Great!"

Saint Patrick's Breastplate

Thinking today of Saint Patrick and his courageous stand for Christ. Having escaped slavery in Ireland, he was miraculously redeemed and was called by God, back to the very people who had enslaved and mistreated him. He lived in a land which was far more hedonistic and pagan than we could imagine, and yet he lived out the gospel and reflected the light of Jesus. His life was constantly threatened and he battled very real spiritual forces, with only his faith and courage. His "breastplate prayer" has always inspired me, and is now a source of comfort and inspiration:

"I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord."

Praise to the God who delivers us, redeems us, loves us, corrects us, and gives us peace.

Complemenatarianism

Complementarianism- Our big theological word for the day. Simplified, it means an oversimplification of scripture which is being abused by some who mistake bigotry for spirituality, and who get their jollies by treating women as second class people. This patriarchalism is a cult and needs to be treated as the dangerous threat to the gospel that it is. Jesus elevated women and treated them with dignity, because He created them in His image, as much as He created men in His image. He created them different, but He certainly intended them to be equal. Read this great article at The Wartburg Watch.

Wrestling with God

Wrote this a couple of years ago, after a period of faith struggle. I've seen a lot of growth in these last two years, but it's good to look back and remember that faith isn't something that we should take for granted, and genuine faith rarely comes easily. 

     For the last few years, I've been exploring the meaning of my faith. Do I really believe that Jesus is the son of God, and if I do, what does that mean to me? How can I have a relationship with a God I can't measure or verify with any of the five senses I've been given? If I believe, how much am I willing to risk for Him?


     This has been a period of transition for me. I wanted to move away from being someone who just goes to church or simply goes through the motions. I was being moved forward by momentum only, and my forward progress was slowing. But what was I transitioning to? I had to be willing to say that, if necessary, I could transition to being a non-believer. I had to be willing to let the search take me where ever it went.


     Well, after 4 long years of struggle, I want to publicly reaffirm my faith in Christ. I genuinely believe that there is a God. I wholeheartedly believe that Jesus is God's Son and His death on the cross has covered my many sins. I am more aware now, than ever, of my need for forgiveness and my total dependence on the grace of God.


     This faith demands that I be different. I have hope, and hope should change the kind of person I am. By God's grace, from this day forward, I want to live my life differently.


     For these last 4 years, I've been a difficult person to be around ( if not the last 54 ) , because I've challenged everything. Some of that was just me being me ( sorry about that ), but some was a genuine attempt to make sense of how I could relate to an invisible God. Fortunately, I think God likes it when we wrestle with Him. I think He appreciates genuine contact.


     I can't say that all of my questions have been answered. There's a lot that, for now, is a matter of faith ... but it's not a blind, stupid faith. I'm going to keep asking questions, because I want to be authentic in my faith. I want Jesus to define this for me. I have no interest in behaving, believing, or acting in a certain way, just because others in the church behave, believe or act a certain way. It's clear that I need to look to " Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith" to find out what it means to be a christian. So, please bear with me, while I figure that out.