Finding Forgiveness in an Unforgiving World

It is 11^o F, and it is mid-November in Detroit, Michigan! My body isn’t ready for this yet! Ready or not, the cold is coming!

It is the same way with relating to others. They are either “cold or hot”. Like it or not, we cannot chose all our relationships. This means we will need to deal with the matter of forgiveness sooner or later. It was designed that way by God. Perhaps this is a significant part of relating to our Lord in a “hot or cold” way. 

This morning someone asked me, (after a disappointing experience), “How does a person have proof they have forgiven someone?” 

In answering I was reminded of the Lord's Prayer, (Luke 17:1-6), given in response to a similar question, verbalizing a need to pray more effectively, like John the Baptist's disciples had been experiencing. John the Baptist had challenged them to be authentic with their lives.

I simply quoted the Lord's Prayer, emphasizing the phrase, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, (or the evil one.)” 

We can tell if we have really forgiven another, by observing where our Heavenly Father leads after we have declared forgiveness with our mouths. He does not tempt, but may lead us into areas that are tempting. 

The prodigal, (Luke 15:17), started the road to forgiveness when he found himself coveting the material wealth his father had accumulated, rather than his father, himself. 

Unfortunately, he did it in covetousness! He eventually forgave completely when he realized that he was operating out of the vacuum and desperation of his own heart, rather than Who had made his father wealthy. When he “came to himself”, and went back home . . he found his father had changed (had he really?), and his brother needed to change as well. (Would he be willing?)

I find it fascinating to realize that the one in the more desperate situation, spiritually, is the very one who is allowed to “get by” with the unheard of, until someone more devoted is challenged with something far less significant.

Spiritual poverty is found among those closest to the Lord - that the rest of the world might believe! (These often include those who are rich in faith. This treasure of Grace is found in old clay pots, 2 Corinthians 4:7!) If Peter had not seen his own failure in the midst of his strategies, and observed Jesus healing the ear of an obedient servant of the High Priest, he would have missed another amazing proof of Who Jesus really was!

FAITH

“Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.” (Proverbs 19:21 (HCSB)

It was one of those moments!

Having heard about the man called Jesus, he thought it might be worth a try to see if He just might be able to do something about the desperate problem he had been having with his son.

It is likely that he had to do some research to find where Jesus would be that day, but after checking around, he was soon on his way. He was tired of dealing with the boy’s problem.

What he may not have known, however, was that Jesus, Himself, had slipped away for a while. He had gone up a high mountain along with his closest confidants in the group of disciples, leaving the others behind. It was a special moment for the foursome as God showed them His heart!

As for the rest of them, an old king reflects, “Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 6:9)

“What made them so special to go with him up the high mountain?”

When God looks for faith, presumption and unrealistic expectations quickly surface. I remember what happened while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments. It wasn’t a pretty picture!

The other disciples had been with Jesus. They had seen Jesus do it many times. Why not show who they really were? As luck would have it, the problem might disappear as well! However, the man, himself, may have been wondering why they were attempting what Jesus, himself had been doing. Needless to say, neither the group, nor the man, were satisfied with the outcome.

As the foursome came down from the high mountain, they approached the comrades that they had left behind, and saw a crowd gathered. The religious people were involved in a dispute.

Suddenly, when the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed and ran to greet Him. Then Jesus wanted to know what they were arguing about.

A man out of the crowd answered Jesus, saying, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”

Jesus gives a stinging rebuke to the entire age group! I even bite my own upper lip as I remember similar rebukes in my own walk with the Lord! “Better an open reprimand than concealed love.” (Proverbs 27:5)

“You unbelieving generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” So they brought him to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately convulsed the boy. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus looks the father in the eye, and asks for some history about the problem. “How long has this been happening to him?”

“From childhood,” he said. “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Jesus then addresses the issue of faith, “‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.”

The father of the boy immediately cries out in recognition of what Jesus is saying, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”

The scripture record continues with the story. When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly coming together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!”

Then it came out, shrieking and convulsing him violently. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.

After He went into a house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

Jesus explained that faith prays, and faith also sees God’s heart for the need.

The disciples that had been left behind that day did not realize that the man really did not trust them. They needed to pray before undertaking such an exercise, and they needed to understand God’s heart and the heart of the boy.

And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting]a.”

An authentic faith matched with a verified authentication of the action of a supernatural God, is what brings Him into action!

An old song comes to mind, “Do you know my Jesus? Do you know my Friend? Have you heard He loves you, and that He will abide till the end?”

a From Mark 9:14-29 [Other mss omit bracketed text] (Italicized remarks are quotes from the Holman Christian Standard Bible)

The Engine LIght

(Proverbs 3:6)  “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

I had just bought a later model used car. On a trip to Indiana for Thanksgiving, the amber “engine light” came on. I had been used to driving older cars, so this was a new experience to me.

This amber “engine light”, differs from vehicle to vehicle, but promises customers a safer and better driving experience, and helps to address problems earlier, and more efficiently for a broad range of problems. For this reason sometimes repair facilities struggle more to find solutions.

That particular Thanksgiving, I spent most of the day at the dealership, only to discover that the computer itself had incorrectly turned the light on. The manufacturer paid the bill.

The conversations that I had with several people while waiting, helped me to realize that my own spiritual “engine light” was on, and God was taking my life a new direction.

The working of God’s spirit can sometimes be like an “engine light” in our lives. Jesus experienced this when a woman touched the hem of his garment, and he felt power drain from his spirit. We are all spirits, who happen to have bodies, and they can be directed towards evil or good.

I was being introduced to this as a “new dimension” in the Christian life.

For example, I was surprised recently to see that the Bible says that a person of great wrath also has great confidence. Confidence alone, then, does not guarantee that you are operating according to God’s ways. (Proverbs 14:16) In other words, things can appear well without any indication of anything being wrong – but it is helpful to know that there are times when this may be the case.

God is holy, and will always be angry at sin. But the beauty of walking close to the Lord, is that you can learn to recognize his “slightest whisper”!

The root cause of all suffering on earth is the problem of sin. Since sin has been dealt with at the cross of Jesus Christ, what is left is a restored relationship with the Heavenly Father. Faith is what brings this about. But since sin is at the core of our entire human existence, outside of the cross, and the operation of grace necessary for all aspects of this new life, it is becomes a daily challenge!

Fortunately, our pain during these times becomes a picture of what a vehicle is supposed to be like, and attracts more assistance. Our pain draws the Savior!

As I write this, even our little Shitzu dog decided that it was time to get some exercise. I had not done this since yesterday morning. She actually seemed quite vicious as she was playing with me.

How do we know what is happening? We simply develop a regular routine for “checking in with Him”, so as to keep the “engine light” functioning appropriately.

I saw a few fascinating verses in scripture recently that underline this truth for me. The Lord knows what is going on. (2 Peter 2:9) In fact he can be recognized by what He evaluates in our lives, and the lives of those who walk away from Him. (Psalm 9:16).

The thing left, then, is to live our lives from these “roots” upwards and away from things that are dangerous to our “vehicle” – away from the contamination that addressed our lives early on, and from the time when they first began to influence our hearts away from Him.

All we have to do is to . . . acknowledge Him!

I needed to say it in that automobile dealership that day, and I also needed to say it to myself this morning, “Paul, in all of your ways make sure that you make His ways known, in what you acknowledge, and what you do, and he will act as director of your paths, and make them straight!

Is your “engine light” on?  (1) If it is giving out false information – take it the “Manufacturer”, and get it replaced with the “Word of God”; (2) If it is correct, align your life accordingly; (3) If someone else needs your understanding, share with them. (1 Peter 3:15)

POWERFUL PRAYER SEEN IN THE PERSISTENT WIDOW AND HEARTLESS JUDGE

Luke 18 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow Reaping in joy what you have sown in tears.

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

“Elias [Elijah] was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” (James 5:17-18 KJV)

This parable, contrary to what it seems to suggest on the surface, is not merely a sales pitch for persistence. The persistence in this story is more like a contention than a recommendation to persist. But, it is not just a contention either, because the widow is not shown as being all “bent out of shape”! She is tenaciously determined! What made her this way? That seems to be the point of this parable.

She knew that this judge could do what she wanted! He was experienced. He had dealt with this kind of thing before. He had told her! Jesus had said that the judge needed to be heard! (verse 6)

Jesus often used parables, especially among religious leaders, in order to help them see, when they were really blind. (Matthew 13:13)

Here Jesus uses a parable to teach God’s power, and the key to it. Elijah, in the Old Testament, although used mightily of God to discipline the nation of Israel concerning their idolatry, did not comprehend how much it would cost him emotionally, until he found himself running in fear from the idolatrous queen, herself!

“When the illusion of control disappears, we become men and women of prayer.” RT@MattChandler74 (Twitter)

What is a parable anyway? It is a brief but clear story, occasionally written in poetic form. It illustrates an instructive principle, life lesson, or universal truth, such as those found in scripture. A parable is a type of analogy.

The word “parable” comes from the Greek παραβολή (parabolē), meaning “comparison, illustration, analogy”, It sketches a setting, describes an action, and shows the results. It often involves a character facing a moral dilemma, or making a questionable decision and then experiencing the consequences.

It would serve us well to remember that Jesus said in Mark 4:13 that all parables have the concept of “sowing and reaping” hidden in them. We therefore need to look for the truth of “sowing and reaping” in this parable. The widow saw the truth of this resource, experienced its growth in her perception, and comprehended that continued persistence with an unjust and uncaring judge, would pay off in the end. In this way, the widow’s perception of the answer to her need seems to prove light, or discernment.

Let us consider the words, “a certain city”. It was a specific city. Was this parable meant to be a picture of God’s dealings with Israel’s religious leaders, the cry of those affected by this, and the spiritually “widowed” in the city of Jerusalem, and the answer of the sending of the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem them?

After the coming of Christ, the objective is much bigger than just the ancient state of Israel, but rather the true Church, the redemption of those He draws to Himself, as demonstrated in the Book of Acts.

So the parable can demonstrate the inner ache of the spirit, as it longs to see the release of a transformed heart responding to the grand purpose of redemption.

Therefore, to capture the main lesson of this parable, could not this “certain city” be like any spiritual stronghold that Christians may experience in their souls? Or, to put it another way, the “certain city” could be any significant issue that you have.

Or, to put it in the words of the scripture passage, as we shall see at the end of the passage, the Judge of the Universe will avenge his elect of their adversary, when faith has immobilized the unjust judge!

But, this particular judge did not fear God nor did he respect people. He had scrutinized her carefully. He was not going to let go of this lightly. This had made her check her heart out many times. She had tried good attitudes, and good strategies, but none had worked. All that was left was her own inspired view of the answer. This was beginning to serve her well, because Satan, himself, can come as an “angel of light”. God’s light is greater!

This “heart” discernment is designed to lead to further understanding, and a conviction that there may be resources to meet this need. This may well be an opportunity to experience the power of God, comprehended in the vision of the heart, the very authority needed for God’s answer.

Was it then faith that drove the woman to camp on the doorstep of this judge? If so, then Faith is much more than a wish, or a positive mental attitude. It is knowledge of an existing truth, having its source as the very heart of God! This kind of faith is conceived in the heart of God, implanted in the heart, and is able to save one’s soul. (James 1:21) As the understanding of the Word of God made personal to us expands, (Psalm 119:96), (Psalm 138:2), it includes amazing wonders.

Knowing the truth, and seeing God apply it in the midst of adverse surroundings sets us free.

Is this not a parable in one’s experience of “unanswered prayer”? Is Jesus telling us that often we are driven by the fierce winds of our lusts?

Why else would he tell us not to be fainthearted in prayer, when futility lingers in mechanical answers to such questions?

In Luke’s record, just prior to this, Jesus shows how the loss of faith, as explained above, assigns us with loads we cannot possibly carry, which end up drowning “in an ocean” with a stone attached. He then demonstrates how a forgiving spirit is critical to faith, but who can forgive without first being forgiven? Finally, he demonstrates how ingratitude relates to unanswered prayer, indicating that if we were not a benefactor, we could never benefit another.

Jesus deals with these things, it seems to me, to keep people on praying ground – (1) Don’t lose faith, for without it there are loads we cannot possibly bear, and oceans that we cannot possibly swim; (2) Always remember your first role is as “light” in a dark world, to meet the need of the human heart with the message of the Gospel; (3) Stay on forgiving ground, thus consistently keeping flow of the Holy Spirit working; (4) Keep gratitude. Remember that we gained nothing on our own initiative in our world!

Some situations we all face are simply “unjust”. Yet, ironically, hidden deep in our experience of God in our lives, is the insight made real by faith.

Ironically, we are commanded to pursue God’s heart-joy in these kinds of situations. How can joy occur if there has not first been faith? Matthew 15:8; Philippians 1:20-21. In other words, there has to be gain!

Years ago Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a book entitled, “When Bad Things happen to Good People”. TV Weather anchor, Chuck Gadicea, in reflecting on the title, at Livonia Prayer Breakfast, 2011, noted that Harold did not say, “Why”, but, “When”! We will all face situations, which are a sort-of parable of life, in and of themselves.

The Samaritan woman was saying, in so many ways, “Give me the music of an authentic life of praise to God! This Man before me is expressing the truth, and I know it. I am going to check this man out who offers me living water at this well!” Having had to deal repeatedly with bad deals in her own life, five husbands, finally ending up with a live-in boyfriend; lame excuses of the “where and how”, from so-called “religious people”, she tries it once again with Jesus. “You speak of this living water, Jesus, but I want to know where we are supposed to worship.”

She had seen the “spirit” of things, and the “truth” of things, in her experience of life. Jesus the Messiah, who had the answer to those questions, challenged her futile resources – the well in Samaria, and her five husbands! She was truly a widow in the deepest sense of the word. Finally the "judge" released control, when the greater showed Himself to be there.

She knew that this was the Spirit of the Messiah, sent to a lost and dying world. Justice was served, as Jesus explained this to her understanding!

It is no accident that she began spreading the good news of Jesus everywhere!

BAD PHOTOCOPIES

The employee walked into the manager’s office, and set the boxes of photocopies on the floor. “There, they are done!” He then started to leave.

The manager stooped to examine a few of the copies, and said, “What’s this? I can’t even read them!”

Then, turning to the employee, he said, “That is totally unacceptable! Unless they make it right, I will never have them do a job for me again!”

“Uh, but they really were not that good to start with,” the employee remonstrated.

“Well, at least the photocopy shop should have refused to do them, or done them without charge. I am not going to let them by with this, they will either refund my money, or do this job completely over”, the manager replied.

Turning to the administrative assistant, he asked for the phone number, and called the manager at the photocopy shop, saying, “You didn’t even try to make them readable, I want my money back, or an honest attempt to make it right!”

The employee found himself thinking, “How do people who wreak havoc, always seem to come out smelling like a rose?” That is opposite to nature!

The employee was in the middle of it, and had not asked to be at all!

A thought came to his mind, “I did not choose to be in this dilemma all by myself. I am just the messenger. After all I am attempting to respond as Christ would have responded. Just maybe He will help!”

A little doubt crept in, but then another thought counteracted, “Don’t be ashamed of the Good News of Christ, trust Him!”

The employee took the order back, and found a place to wait at a nearby coffee shop. The coffee didn't taste good, and no one was friendly. But, as he waited, he was praying that somehow God would make this all turn out for good. A light turned on in his consciousness, “That’s it, the Good News of God's paying the total price for all sin will help this come out alright, somehow.”

It was then that a thought came to him, “Why not check to see how the job is going?” As he did, the young man doing the work, wanted to know what might be acceptable to the manager, knowing that the original was not that good in the first place. The thunderclouds of anger and the poisons of bitterness that had started to fester in his doubting heart, (and stomach), finally started to respond to the “medicine” of praise to God for answers that were beginning to come his way.

Soon, the employee began to think differently about the situation. Does not a mother who has nearly lost her life in the delivery of a child have some “say” in what that child does with their life in the end? Does not God have some “say” in the formation of the character of one who has just trusted God’s son’s death as an opportunity for life change? A person with a servant heart does not bury his talent in the ground, but does what he can with what he has.

Jesus told the story of a manager who had negotiated a wage with those who had come early in the day, and had simply told those hiring in at the last minute, that he would pay them what was right. When he decided to pay them all the same, he was accused of being unfair. His answer was simply, “Does not a manager have the right to be good when he chooses to pay for a given service? Both of you got what you negotiated for.” Those who had arrived early, were more interested in themselves, than they were in the manager. Those who came late, were willing to help regardless of the outcome. (Matthew 20:15)

The manager appeared cruel in sending the employee back, but in reality saved face for everyone, and allowed everyone to give decent service for an expected wage, by learning to give all of one’s expectations to God, and then asking for His Grace in time of need. (Psalm 62:5)