His ways are not our ways

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Why all the suffering and pain? As we become Christians, why aren’t we immediately rescued from the troubles of this earth?

Jesus told His followers to go, tell, and make disciples of the nations (Matthew 28:19). If we are gone, how could we go, and who would tell others about Christ?

We are told to comfort others with the comfort we are given by our merciful God (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). If we never suffered how would we know how to give comfort?

Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in prison. What if they had never been jailed? Prisoners wouldn’t have heard them singing praises to God, they wouldn’t have seen the power of God as the prison shook and cell doors opened, and the jailer and his whole household would not have been saved (Acts 16:22-31).

What if Paul had not spent any time in prison? Would we have his beautiful treasure-trove of letters written to the early churches?

If Paul had been rescued from prison in Rome, the whole praetorium guard would not have heard the message of Christ. He wrote “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:12-14, ESV).

If Joseph had never been sold in slavery and imprisoned, how many people would have died from famine?

If the early church had not been persecuted and driven from their homes, would the gospel have spread throughout the known world?

Believers in China face terrible opposition, yet a Chinese Christian wrote, “Instead of focusing our prayers against any political system, we pray that regardless of what happens to us, we will be pleasing to God. Don’t pray for the persecution to stop! We shouldn’t pray for a lighter load to carry, but a stronger back to endure! Then the world will see that God is with us, empowering us to live in a way that reflects his love and power.” ~ Brother Yun[i]

My sweet friend, Marlyn, died from pancreatic cancer. Yet before she went home to the Lord, she boldly proclaimed Christ to her doctors, other patients, friends, family members, and even strangers.

The early believers prayed for boldness, courage, and fearless confidence. They prayed for those who persecuted them, prayed when they were attacked and driven from their homes. Persecution scattered the believers, and they scattered the good news. Opposition merely became opportunities to continue sharing. Suffering was seen as a blessing and they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer. They didn’t make what happened to them bigger than the message of Christ. Their faith was dangerous to the kingdom of darkness, and their faith resulted in glorious results for the Kingdom of God.

God’s ways are not our ways. God wishes none to perish without Him, and He will send His children around the world to be His hands and feet to share His eternal message of grace and love. Christ’s followers are driven from their homes, experience storms, shipwrecks, prisons, illness, and hardships without number, yet through their suffering how many lost sheep around the world hear of our Savior, Jesus Christ?

May we trust that whatever happens, God is in control and His plans are bigger than we can see. Pray for boldness, pray for courage, pray to be led by the Holy Spirit to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a loving God. Thank You for Your salvation. Thank You that You desire all people to be saved. Help me to be bold and courageous. May Your Holy Spirit lead me to walk in Your ways, read Your word, and no matter what happens while on this earth, to share with others the good news of Your grace, mercy, and salvation through Your precious Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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[i] Yun, Brother, with Hattaway, Paul, The Heavenly Man, Monarch Books, UK & USA, 2002

Forgiving ourselves

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Sometimes forgiving others is easier than forgiving ourselves. Please don’t let the enemy convince you that your sin is too bad, too many, or too terrible for God’s forgiveness. I’ve heard people say that because of their sins there is no hope for repair or restoration. Yes, there are always consequences to sin. And unfortunately, behaviors will spill over to affect other lives. Fortunately, God is bigger than any mistake or failure.

David was an adulterer and murderer, but God called him a man after His own heart.

Moses killed a man, but God spoke to him face-to-face as a friend.

Rahab was a prostitute, but God blessed her to be the mother of Boaz. And Boaz married Ruth, and through their further generations came our precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

Saul stood by watching and agreeing with the stoning of Steven and then he persecuted Christians, but God used him in mighty ways to further His kingdom.

The woman caught in adultery, the woman who “lived a sinful life” all found forgiveness at the feet of Jesus.

Regardless of your past, no matter what has happened, what you have been through, God’s forgiveness is freely offered for those who come to Him. Let that steep in you. The Lord will forgive if you honestly, earnestly confess, and repent.

Grace touches to the very marrow of our being and cleanses us from the inside out, creating a new creature in Christ. Created uniquely, we become the best we can be through His grace. All we must do is accept what He so freely offers.

“Turn to the Lord! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near. Give up your evil ways and your evil thoughts. Return to the Lord our God. He will be merciful and forgive your sins” (Isaiah 55:6-7, CEV).

“Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18, NASB).

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The freedom of forgiveness

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Jesus said, If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15).

Picture a courtroom. The jury is in place, the lawyers are ready, and the judge sits on the bench. The person who wronged you is brought into the room. You scream, jump to your feet, and hit the person over and over again. The bailiff and lawyers try to restrain you, but you can’t be contained because that person does not deserve forgiveness.

The judge bangs his gavel and pronounces his verdict – “as you have spoken, so it will be done to you. If that person doesn’t deserve forgiveness, neither do you.”

Our choices are limited. We can forgive others and be forgiven. Or, we can keep a tally of their sins. The problem is, our sins also continue to be tallied.

Which sins would you want remaining on your record?

The person most hurt by not forgiving … is you.

When God tells us to forgive, He is not questioning the reality of your wounds, or the level of your pain, or that you have been sinned against. Forgiveness is not what you do for them; it is a gift to yourself. And with that gift comes, freedom, peace of mind, and right fellowship and relationship with God.

Forgiveness does not release their debt. Forgiveness of others releases our debt.

If you don’t forgive, you remain chained to your offender, continually offended by that offense, and that experience. When you refuse to forgive, when you continue to wallow in the wrongs committed against you, you are refusing the blood of the lamb—the blood that is deep enough, red enough, cleansing enough, to heal and erase the hurt, the anger, and the frustrations.

I know a person who is still angry at someone who has been dead for decades. Anger has done nothing but stagnate growth—causing bitterness, illness, and a lack of connection with those around them. I’ve seen people turn into a version of the very person they hated, because that is what consumed them — that is who they thought about, and that is what they became. An unforgiving spirit fouls up everything—including attitudes, and relationships with others and with God. The garbage of unforgiveness is heavy, depressing, smelly, stinky, and rots from the inside out.

Through Christ, we find the power to forgive, and through Him we receive our healing. Release your burden to Him. Not part, not just a little, but all. You can be chained to your heartache and your unforgiving spirit or you can be released today.

Let’s replay the courtroom scenario. The date arrives and the person who wronged you appears before the judge. You forgive—not because the person deserves forgiveness—you forgive because Christ has forgiven you. The judge listens quietly and pronounces his verdict. The person who wronged you is convicted. With a righteous Judge, the punishment always fits the crime. Forgiveness unlocks the chains that chained you.

Jesus reaches out with compassion, mercy, and grace. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Justice is served and you walk free.

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