Unconditional Forgiveness Yields Unlimited Creativity - Part IV

Unconditional Forgiveness Yields Unlimited Creativity

2 Samuel 13:1-33 – Part IV

In the end, Absalom’s fate equals that of Amnon.  Absalom dies spiritually before he dies physically.  Similar to his unfortunate plight, many people in the body of Christ experience the same fate.  Their refusal to forgive people slowly and surely drains life out of them.  They cease the daily practice of spiritual disciplines.  They become obsessed with wanting God to defend and vindicate them.  They constantly look back to the hurtful experience.  The bitterness that pervades their minds and the strife that captures their hearts reduces them to a pillar of salt that has lost its savor. 

In contrast, were they, in gratitude for God’s grace, to forgive liberally as well as unconditionally, they become “channels of God’s peace” in the poetic characterization of St. Francis of Assisi.  In his timeless prayer of humble petition for divine service, this monk who had taken a vow of financial and material poverty appeals to be the Lord’s exclusive instrument.  I paraphrase succinctly the central thoughts of St. Francis.  “Lord make me a channel of Thy peace.  Where there is hatred, I may sow love; where there is darkness, I make sow light; where there is sorrow, I may sow joy; where there is despair, I make sow hope.”  Is seems self-evident that someone whose raison de-tre is extracting revenge hardly qualifies to articulate this prayer.  Such an obsessed person cannot accomplish the grand spiritual aims of which St. Francis speaks.  Only someone who is totally free from emotional burdens could desire to be a messenger of mercy and peace. 

There are innumerable practical benefits to total forgiveness which equates with hitting the delete button on a corrupted computer file.  It is necessary to delete the file and send it to the recycle bin.  It is then necessary to empty that bin thereby forever erasing the affects of emotional strangleholds.  Find the joy to return to your child-like faith in which you truly believe that anything is possible with God.  This exquisite joy emerges for disciples whose souls sing freely and openly to the honor and glory of Almighty God.  In gratitude for the forgiveness which they receive in Christ, they willingly share the Lord’s love and mercy with others.  The new found freedom that categorical forgiveness yields develops into unrestricted imagination.

I conclude with an autobiographical illustration.  As the sixth of seven children who were abandoned by both parents, I was reared by my paternal grandparents who were very godly people.  They took my siblings and me in November of 1967 when they were in their early sixties and looking forward to retirement.  Plus, they had recently taken in two of my cousins.  Nonetheless, for many years I thought of my parents as fugitives who had gotten way.  I deeply desired that they would feel some of the pain and disappointment that I felt for being picked upon for wearing cheap sneakers, hand-me-down clothes, and raggedly coats in the winter time.  I wanted them to feel the same embarrassment that I felt when I watched other kids in the neighborhood come home with new school clothes.  Needless to say, I could recite endlessly such memories.  Today, however, none of that matters because Almighty God has given me the grace to extend unqualified forgiveness in gratitude for the forgiveness that He freely gave me in Jesus Christ.  On Mothers’ Day of this year, I wrote my mother a letter offering my love and human forgiveness of which I am very aware she is not in need.  Also, I enclosed a gift from my wife, our children and me.  I recalled how I had written her the most hurtful letter that I could write when I was in college.  I told her that I hope that this one could replace that one.  I hope that it could be as if I had not written the first one.  That deed already has paid incalculable spiritual dividends as new doors and windows of creativity have opened for me as I have been freed from decades of carrying milestones of unforgiveness.  I pray to the Lord Almighty for an equal chance to reestablish a relationship with my father.  Additionally, I contemplate the freedom that I have enjoyed as I have let go of the battles with a previous pastorate and my pursuit of a doctoral degree.  The former opened the door to my next divine assignment in which I assist in leading people to the Lord Jesus Christ and building the kingdom of Almighty God.  The latter will enable me to study the passion of my heart.

Unconditional forgiveness yields unlimited creativity.

Periodic Trips to Mt. Moriah

Periodic Trips to Mt. Moriah

Periodically, God reminds us of the importance of the first and second commandments.  “You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath of in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, …” (Exodus 20:3-5) God insists upon being the number one priority in our lives.  His holy jealousy will not allow anyone or anything else to displace Him in our affections and allegiances.

God’s test of Abraham in Genesis 22 vividly depicts this divine command.  After proving His faithfulness through the birth of Isaac, God requires that Abraham offer Isaac as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah.  Perhaps, Abraham’s love for his son, Isaac, began to supersede Abraham’s love of God.  To ascertain the depth of Abraham’s love for Him, God instructs Abraham to unequivocally demonstrate his love for Him by sacrificing the son, Isaac.  In order to fulfill his providential role as the “knight of faith” and “father of many nations,” Abraham had to be unquestionably devoted to the Lord. 

In Isaac, Abraham finally had an heir.  You can only imagine his excitement!  Abraham’s love for Isaac probably totally consumes his heart and being.  It might even surpass his love for Sarah.  However, if it exceeds Abraham’s love for God, then it is problematic.  Although Abraham lives four hundred years before the Law was written, his experience of the Lord necessitates that he abides by the spirit of the previous commandments.  Nothing usurps the Lord.

As a consequence, Abraham travels to Mt. Moriah and shows his undying love for God by offering to the Lord his most prized earthly possession, Isaac.  Amazingly, Abraham does not question the Lord.  He incredibly renounces the disobedience and recalcitrance that must lurk within his heart.  Abraham shows the Lord that he loves Him more than anyone or anything in the world.  Abraham obeys to the point of lifting the knife to slay Isaac.  The Lord then intervenes and blesses Abraham because he did not withhold Isaac. 

Like Abraham, we occasionally journey to Mt. Moriah and offer the “Isaac” of our lives on the altar of holiness and divine love.  Our love for others and devotion to causes cannot exceed our love for God.  We place every desire of our hearts on the altar of Mt. Moriah.  If we resolve that true happiness is found in being with a significant other, then we must put our love for that person on the altar.  All of our prized possessions (talents, degrees, titles, relationships, material acquisition, jobs, social status, etc,) also belong on the altar of God’s countenance.  We subject each desire to the test of determining whether it coheres with God’s will.

When God’s will does not correlate with our desires, then we must accept that His will is best.  Often, we will not understand His will.  We feel that God makes a mistake.  We want Him to bend His purposes to meet our wishes.  Yet, as believers, we trust without reservation that God’s will is “good, pleasing, and perfect.” 

I suspect that God would have permitted Abraham’s disobedience.  Had Abraham not loved God enough to pass the test, then he would have lived an average life.  We would never know him.  God would have found someone else whose love for God was unconditional.  Similarly, if we refuse to love God with our whole hearts, possibly we miss His will for our lives. 

Conquering the Circumstances

Conquering the Circumstances

Many passages in Scripture assure us God will not allow life’s circumstances to overwhelm us.  Levels of anxiety and fear often rise to unbelief, disillusionment and cynicism.  Yet, God never leaves nor forsakes us.  In every challenge, His abiding love and sustaining presence empower us to defeat threatening situations.  Moreover, He transforms our dilemmas into tests.  I comment briefly on several verses that contain promises of victorious living.  I encourage you to commit these passages to memory; recite them as your daily meditation and affirmation.

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)  What a relief to know that God guarantees our victory regardless of the conditions!  This verse reaffirms Christ’s infinite love for us.  His atoning sacrifice and redemptive consideration of humankind ensures we triumph over all adversity.  Christ conquered the evil of the cross.  His victory empowers us to crush the daily difficulties.  In everything, Christ’s unfathomable love sanctions our conquest.

The prophet, Isaiah, comforts the people in the midst of exile with a picturesque reminder of God’s compassion.  He says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”  (Isaiah 43:2)  What a wonderful image of the comforting presence of Almighty God!  We marvel at God’s amazing grace which simply will not allow situations in life to overtake us.  God promises, “I will be with you.”  His enduring faithfulness enables us to meet the constant changes of life with confidence that yields victory in every instance.  Come what may, we can unquestionably rely upon the grace and truth of God.  Therefore, we do not lose our heads in the throes of challenges. 

There are times when the intensity of our circumstances prevents us from seeing God’s “good, pleasing and perfect will” in our affairs.  In fact, we may fall for the temptation of believing that He abandons us to depths of despair.  Isaiah again depicts a compelling image of God’s care.  “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.  These are things I will do; I will not forsake them.”  (Isaiah 42:16)  Truly, God’s grace is wonderful and amazing!  He changes the details of our lives into tools of learning.  He utilizes our hardships to teach us about His character and love.  Furthermore, God uses our ordeals to build His character within us.  In so doing, He demolishes the fallacy that He abandons us and reveals His mysterious interworking within our lives.  Similarly, Isaiah assures us that the Lord will send the dawn of a new and brilliant day!

 The waters of life and flames of circumstance engulf us when we lose sight of the Lord.  Matthew 14:22-36 records the story, “Jesus Walks on the Water.”  The disciples are on a boat in the lake during the fourth watch of the night.  The period between 3:00 am and 6:00 am is the darkest and coldest part of the night.  Imagine the waves fiercely pounding the boat.  The temperature of the lake definitely chilled their bodies.  Yet, Jesus appears when death seems near.  He encourages them with the greeting, “Take courage!  It is I.  Don’t be afraid.”  Likewise, God appears mysteriously, miraculously and majestically in our dilemmas.  He sustains us with the power of His presence. 

Almighty God, the "Kardia Gnosis"

Almighty God, the “Kardia Gnosis”

The Lord God Almighty is the supreme “Kardia Gnosis.”  He is the “heart knower.”  In 1 Samuel 16:7, the Holy Spirit rebukes the prophet Samuel.  Under the guidance of God, Samuel traveled to the house of Jesse to find and anoint King Saul’s replacement.  Initially, Samuel interviews the older sons of Jesse.  The prophet allows himself to be seduced by their attractive physical statures, handsome features, fine clothing, impressive voices and commendable external qualities.  With each son, the Holy Spirit tells the prophet that he is not the Lord’s chosen.  As you recall, the Spirit eventually leads the prophet to the youngest son, David, a ruddy, muddy, befreckled, smelly and plain shepherd boy.  The Spirit reminds Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God examines the heart to determine whom He uses to spread His gospel and build His kingdom.  He does not consider the resume items of degrees, titles, experience, position, pedigree, salary scale, etc.  In fact, I honestly think that the Lord laughs when we exaggerate our accomplishments and expect Him to be impressed by them.  Really, it is “much to do about nothing” in the eyes of God.  After all, He is the source of “every good and perfect gift.” Frankly, we who are creatures actually insult the Creator by informing Him of talents, gifts and abilities He graciously gave to us.  Talent without faithfulness, commitment and discipline are essentially meaningless.  Therefore, He looks into the closets, corners and crevices of hearts to ascertain whether we possess the requisite spiritual attributes to build His kingdom.

Mainly, God looks for faithfulness in our hearts.  That characteristic distinctly qualifies us for service in the Church, God’s chosen instrument for the transformation of the world.  Some gifted people allow fear, laziness, and procrastination to paralyze them.  They rarely achieve anything substantive in life.  Nonetheless, I posit the Lord bypasses such people when He seeks persons to utilize as the instruments of His peace and the vessels of His love.  Yet, the Lord specially calls people with faithfulness.  The grand “heart knower” looks for this trait in our hearts.

Ancient Israelites considered the heart to be the essence of personhood.  That fact remains to this day!  “Out of the heart flow the issues of life.”  The contents of our hearts more straightforwardly define us than anything we say.  We cannot lie to our hearts.  Additionally, we cannot betray our hearts.  I know people who passed up several chances for advancement because “they did not have the heart” to pursue them.  Recently, a former U.S. Senator from a Southern State retired because he did not have the heart to serve another six-year term.  Likewise in the kingdom of God and the Church, some persons do not possess the right heart for leadership, ordination or promotion.  We face the challenge of acquiring hearts after God’s own heart

God promises to give us a spiritual heart transplant should we be in need of one.  If our hearts wrongly desire the things of the world rather than the things of God, He completely changes our hearts.  He rids them of the self-centered fear.  God assists us to become “other-centered” as we focus upon Him and serve others.  We learn to renounce the acceptable narcissism of the dominant culture.  In Ezekiel 36:26, the Lord offers this grand promise, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

As the “heart knower,” God looks deeply into our character.  More significantly, the Lord looks in our hearts to ascertain whether we really love Him or not.  “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength.”  The “Kardia Gnosis” sees us for who we are!  He does not settle for the external impressions.  Summarily, faith, the combination of belief and trust, is fundamentally a matter of the heart.  It is most clearly evidenced in the actions that emerge from the heart rather than the words that pass our lips. 

Christian Integrity

Christian Integrity

As Christians, we face the challenge of protecting our personal and collective integrity.  The Pauline and general epistles in the New Testament address with the struggle of Christian and holy living.  All believers confront daily tests of making choices consistent with their identities as followers of Jesus.  Relying upon the oral tradition of Christ’s teachings, the early Christians had to define practically a holy and Christian lifestyle.  Central to that task is cultivating honesty, faithfulness and integrity.

Colossians 3:1-15 details the “Rules for Holy Living” and “Rules for Christian Households.”  It appears that very little has changed within the last two millennia.  The apostle exhorts the church at Colosse to “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed which is idolatry.”  Furthermore, the apostle instructs them: “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”  Dealing with surrounding social, economic and political pressures of their city and region, how would Colossian believers maintain integrity of their Christian witness?  The Colossian epistle apostle clarifies the difference between the dominant culture and their faith.

Recently, a Christian pastor refused to accept a financial gift from a gentleman who won the Powerball lottery.  You can appreciate the divergence in opinions among believers about this gift.  Some disciples argue there is no express biblical prohibition against gambling.  Some see that money as filthy lucre and a tool of the devil.  They submit that gambling is an act of faithlessness; it excludes God.  The pastor refused the gift because he had recently counseled a family who had lost their home due to gambling addiction.  The pastor could not reconcile accepting gambling money while he was combating its unfortunate effects.  Believing the pastor lived in accordance with his principles, other disciples compliment the pastor for being true to his convictions.  They argue, “You have to protect your own integrity.”

Should a “Christian” lawyer represent drug dealers or murderers?  Should a church accept money from a drug dealer?  The answers to those questions are straightforward morally and nonnegotiable to some persons.  However, the circumstances are far more complex than they appear initially.  How do we reconcile refusing money from a street drug dealer and receiving it from the pharmaceutical industry, which forces senior citizens to choose between medication and food; limits drugs supplies to keep high prices; and arbitrarily extends patents to prevent the distribution of generic drugs?  What about the tobacco industry, which preys upon our children?  If a person is not a chain smoker by age twenty-one, chances are he will not become one.  Therefore, teenagers remain the target of the industry.  These hypothetical situations do not lend themselves to easy resolution. 

Immediately, you may jump for the simplicity and comfort of a black or white position.  Either permit all of these possibilities or none of them.  Rather then being simple, I argue that one would be simple-minded.  In contrast, we have the dilemma of Colossians.  We strive to maintain Christian character regardless of our situations.  A Christian lawyer must clarify his morals, ethics and professional standards in accordance with the norms of scriptures and his relationship with God.  The Bible reveals the holy, just and loving character of the God.  Christians have the priceless privilege of directly knowing and relating to Almighty God.  For that reason, we view our personal and professional choices through the prism of this incomparable and sacred relationship.  Will a Christian lawyer’s relationship with God permit him to defend a pedophile?

A fundamental question remains.  What does it mean to be Christian in today’s world?  The answer is not any easier for us than it was for the church at Colosse.  They did not have the benefit of the canon of Old and New Testament scriptures.  Yet, they accepted the apostle’s directives as they deepen their knowledge of the Lord’s teachings and strengthen their relationship with Him.  We still cope with the daily test of elucidating practicalities of Christian principles, behavior and integrity.

Personal Liberation - The Art of Folrgiveness - Part IV

“Personal Liberation - The Art of Forgiveness – Part IV”

Esau’s personal accountability yields his forgiveness of Jacob.  As Esau straightforwardly admits his shortcomings, he sees that Jacob exploited them.  Equally, Esau reflects upon his choices and sees the ways in which he could have made better decisions.  Perhaps, he discovers that he would have committed the same deeds as Jacob did had he been Jacob?  Nevertheless, the combination of a vibrant relationship with God and an increasing understanding of God’s incredible love enable Esau to forgive his brother.  Esau appreciates God who loves him and also loves Jacob. Esau admits that God’s heart is big enough to love him and his betraying and deceitful brother.  Esau new appreciation for God’s indescribable love empowers Esau to love Jacob and totally forgive him. 

Forgiveness means relinquishment of your right to punishment.  It is synonymous with a pardon in which the original offense is eliminated from the record as if it never occurred.  Absolutely no punishment is given because a crime was never committed.  Additionally, one agrees to allow God to handle the punishment.  God requires our forgiveness of others in order for us to receive His forgiveness.  This spiritual principle of reciprocity runs throughout the Bible. 

Over the course of twenty years, God miraculously works within Esau’s heart.  He transforms it from the heart of a bloodthirsty murderer to a pure channel of love and forgiveness.  In Genesis 33:19, Esau runs to his brother, embraces him, kisses him and weeps with him.  The tenth verse of that passage depicts one of the most powerful portraits of love and forgiveness in the Bible.  Jacob tells Esau that seeing his face is like seeing the face of God.  A man who twenty years previously deeply desired to kill his brother now freely loves him.

I ask “Can anyone say that he or she has looked into your face and seen the face of God because you have forgiven them?”  Esau’s incredible journey to interpersonal healing and spiritual wholeness demonstrates the blessings and liberty that awaits the people who follow his example.  Esau achieves the ultimate freedom because he discards years of negativity.  He becomes a channel of the love, mercy, forgiveness, grace and peace of God.  In addition, he is able to more greatly receive all of those divine attributes.  Accordingly, we stand to obtain the same inner healing and wholeness if we willingly travel Esau’s path to forgiveness.

Personal Liberation - The Art of Forgiveness - Part III

“Personal Liberation - The Art of Forgiveness – Part III”

The end result of blaming God and others is isolation.  I visualize Esau spending lots of time alone.  He might have gone on numerous hunting trips.  Each one of them undoubtedly reminds him of his victimization at the hands of his duplicitous brother and acquiescent parents.  Each time he relives this experience, it drives him further away from all of them.  Moreover, it expands the chasm between God and Esau.  Practically speaking, resentment means to relive hurtful experiences.  Each remembrance re-ignites our anger and quest for revenge.  Like Captain Ahab in Melville’s Moby Dick, resentment and vengeance poisons the mind and hearts of their barrier.  Isolation is a natural result because nothing matters but the fulfillment of one’s thirst for personal satisfaction. 

Interestingly, total isolation allows one to reach for the one Person who is always there.  We utilize our spiritual imaginations when considering the Esau discourse.  Over the course of the twenty years, Esau finds God in a powerful way.  He realizes God did not abandon him.  Esau’s illimitable material blessings infer the depth of his relationship with Almighty God.  This relationship ensues because Esau’ anger dissipates and he turns to the God of his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac.  Esau eventually understands God’s love extends to everyone including his deceitful brother, Jacob.  He realizes its mercy and forgiveness particularly for persons who are most undeserving.  Esau recognizes the power of God’s love to overcome the greatest personal transgressions.  More significantly, he acknowledges the ability of God’s love to restore broken relationships.  Esau grasps the power of God’s love to repay those who have been harmed.  Time, patience, and nature set the stage for the end of Esau’s isolation and his reach for God.

A very necessary part of re-establishing a relationship with God and ending personal isolation is willingness to assume responsibility for your role in any dilemma.  I posit that Esau was able to accept his role in creating the circumstances of Jacob’s deceptive deeds.  In spite of everything, it is Esau who spit on his birthright and relegates its worth to a bowl of lentil soup.  Esau fails to appreciate the value of the birthright until he loses it.  Esau cannot continually blame his parents for his unwillingness to educate himself about the Laws and blessings of Almighty God.  Why should Esau condemn Jacob for studying the edicts of God while he, Esau, plays tirelessly?  At some point within the twenty-year period of Esau’s isolation, he accepts his character flaws and spiritual immaturity.  This process of self-acceptance empowers Esau to re-establish his relationship with God.