It is Finished (0)

Some of you have asked, initially that is, “What’s up with the countdown?”  Well, if you still don’t know, these devotionals and countdown have been dedicated to the coming arrival of my family.  Each year my family of four would travel out west to Washington to visit the Wilson clan.  And oh is it a clan.  We love the people, we love the travelling, we just look forward to Summer.  This year, however, is different.  Amazingly, we were able to work the opposite.  Between school, work, and summer schedules, the entire side of my family is coming out to Michigan for 9 days.  And this isn’t just a couple siblings and parents.  This is two parents, five siblings, two wives, and two nieces.  Yes, you counted eleven people correctly.

Do you have any countdowns?  Are you excited for an upcoming trip, wedding, or just time away?  Do you think Jesus had a countdown?  Over the past few weeks, these devotions have dealt with many of Jesus' teachings.  He helped us understand how to deal with life, how to treat our brothers and sisters, how to grow fruit from His vine, and most importantly how to love.  But is that really it?  Did he teach each us, yet with power and authority, only to help us learn and be enlightened? 

Counting down to see my family has been a joy, but why has it been?  Do I just get excited about the countdown, just about the thought of them coming?  Does anyone only get excited about the thought of a vacation?   No.  We are more excited about what comes after; it's the beginning of something new. Jesus’ life was dramatic and empowering, but that wasn’t his mission.  I believe Jesus had a countdown.  Yet, to us, his countdown wouldn’t be one I think any one of us would ever be excited about.  Jesus had a countdown to his death.  He knew what was coming and, although for a moment he wished it would pass by him, he knew his Father’s will and followed willingly.

I can see someone saying, “Why would he be excited about that?!  How could he be excited about this countdown?” I know how you feel; I thought the same thing when this passage came to me.  And then I felt Him telling me It’s never been about the countdown.  It’s what happens after the countdown.  In the last moment of his life, Jesus said, “It is finished.”  He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.  And with the biggest blow, Jesus conquered sin for an eternity.  The enemy’s plan was defeated and the love of Christ was shown in his ultimate sacrifice.  He gave us a new life, a life full of hope and a future with him.  The curtain has been torn in two and we now can have communion with the Father.  He has won.  He is victorious.  He is the champion.

It’s not just about the story but the life after that he has given us to live free from the bondage of sin. 

Thank you, Jesus, for doing this for me.

²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

 

²⁸ Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:25-30

0 days!

The Famous One (1)

When you've been invited to go on a grand trip, don’t you get excited?  I remember when Melissa and I were invited to travel to Rome (2001) and live with good friends for nine days there; boy we couldn't stop talking about the trip to come.  I remember the excitement when I’d be invited to stay in large homes or mansions.  Albeit not often, the invitation made it even more thrilling.  Large homes, great acreage, swimming pools, gaming rooms, and just relaxing how ever you wanted to.  You’d think Boy, this is the life.

And then, when you go home, how quickly do you feel discontent with the size of your home?  You desire having a home like the one you stayed in and the space to do anything and everything you have ever dreamed of.  When this happens, ask yourself, “Do I only get this excited about mansions here on earth?”

The disciples were just told by Jesus that his time on earth would come to an end soon.  He would be betrayed and he would be going away, away to place that they could not follow.  After being with Jesus as long as they had, this was the only life they wanted.   Jesus now tells them that he physically cannot be with them anymore.  To them, Jesus was their home, their grand home.  But in John 14, Jesus comforts them.  “You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (v. 1,2)  Thomas’ response is slightly humorous when he asks, “so how can we know the way” as if they could walk there. (v. 3)

Jesus’ response is Truth: “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (v. 6,7)

Do you hear and see what I am seeing?  Does this get you excited for the biggest trip of your lives?  If we believe in God and if we know Jesus, then we have seen the Father.  Furthermore, prepare, get packed, and tell others about your upcoming trip.  He has prepared a place for you in His mansion, your own room, in a new grand home.  Moreover, the master of the home is not another popular movie star or business entrepreneur.  He is the creator of the universe, the creator of you and of me.  He is The Famous One. 

1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

 ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:1-7

1 day!

Blinded for a Reason (2)

Remember when you played pin the tail on the donkey?  Someone would cover your eyes with a handkerchief, spin you around, give you the tail, and set you loose.  As you timidly walked forward, praying you were actually walking forward or toward the donkey on the wall, you hoped the tail at least made it somewhere in donkey country than anything else.  I was bad at this game.  I never liked playing it.

Isn’t that the same feeling as when you don’t know where you’re going in life and you really hope you’re going in the right direction?  How many times did you fail before you hit the right track?  I’m sure this feeling comes as a result of many failed experiences, blinded to what’s to come or what’s around the corner.  Saul (now Paul) was once the persecutor of the early church.  He longed to find those following Jesus’ teaching and have them thrown into prison.  He was of the religious elite.  You remember, the same elite Jesus once hurled woes to because of the unreasonable burdens they would put on the weak?

And, yet, in His mercy, Saul was chosen to be a prominent leader of the new movement.  On the road to Damascus, Saul is suddenly blinded by a light, a light that the others in his party couldn’t see but could still hear the voice that called out, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  He immediately responded, “Who are you, Lord?” and Jesus replied that it was him along with instructions to go into the city.

That’s it.  Well not really.  The light that Saul saw also blinded him.  For three days, he was escorted but he followed Jesus’ orders, going into the city, for it was there that he would await further instruction.

Are you blinded?  Do you feel like you’re walking to nowhere?  Chances are you could be walking to nowhere, with no instruction.  Hopefully, though, you are walking purposefully, walking where He has told you to walk even though you don’t know what’s up ahead.  Saul surely didn’t know what was to come, that his name would change, he would lead thousands (millions) to Christ, and also he would suffer for the cause of Christ.  However attractive that may or may not sound, his reward on earth was exchanged for heavenly treasures.  He listened, followed, and trusted in God.  Sometimes, it requires not knowing how you’ll get there, being blinded temporarily, in order to bring about a dependence of Him, trust, to lead you where He is taking you.

 ¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

 ⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

   “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

 ⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Acts 9:1-9

2 days!

Tablet of your Heart (3)

“Honey,” I tell my oldest, “please help me set the table.”  Other times, “please make your bed immediately when you get up.”  “Do not watch any Netflix until you’re dressed and your bed is made.”  Now that’s a new one.  When I was their age, it was “don’t play too loud in your room,” for fear I’d wake up my parents if they wanted to sleep in.  I’d use my Hot Wheels cars and imagine car races or use my K.I.T.T. car with Michael Knight action figure – with legs like Barbie – imagining huge stunts while capturing bad guys.

As a child, I was constantly battling the fun over the chores.  And why were the chores that important?  I mean, they were always there to be done.  There was a never-ending ceaselessness about it.  Make your bed, clean your room, feed the dog, pick up after the dog, put your toys away, and do it every single day.  My girls do an excellent job taking care of the things around the house; they’re girls and they have a fantastic mother.  But they still forget some of the basic things.  It isn’t often, but it happens.  What can I say?  They’re kids.  But isn’t easy to get frustrated when you tell them something over and over and over again just hoping one of these days they’ll do it on their own?

Reading Proverbs 3, I am refreshed in being reminded what is most important.  Training a child to do his or her chores is indeed important.  It teaches life skills, respect, honor, taking care of what has been given to you; however, what is worth more than that is teaching your child to adore God.  This isn’t something that they acquire by your instruction.  This isn’t a Sunday School lesson that they pick up; they don’t just love God and love His commands because you tell them to.  This isn’t something they learn from lectures from you.  They learn this by practice, by imitation, by it being modeled.

I am beyond blessed that my girls live peacefully (most of the time), love others, and love God.  They understand His word and love reading their Bible.  They look forward to Sunday, to carrying their Bible to church, and to learning about Him.  They love telling stories they heard at church and what it means to them.  This is something I know has been modeled to my girls, having learned from us, their grandparents, and others we know have helped to shape their hearts towards loving and adoring the Father.

Just a week or so ago, I remember seeing my oldest crying to my wife.  She was telling her mother of something that happened at school.  I could tell they needed their moment and later, after my oldest went back out to play, I asked my wife what that was all about.  She told me that while our daughter was at recess, a couple of the kids said that they thought it would be fun not to line up when the bell rang; this was expected of the kids when recess was over, signaled by the bell.  My daughter overheard them and rather than joining them, she reminded them that the moral focus of the week was “integrity” and that we should make the right choice.  The kids ended up laughing at her and this caused her pain which she carried with her when she came home.

Later on that night, I told her I heard about it.  I paused.  I then told her that I was very proud of her.  I tried my best to show her the immense pride I had for her and shared with her how pleased I was that she cared more about doing the right thing and pleasing God over doing what others wanted.

May we clothe ourselves in Him and bind ourselves with His teachings.  More importantly, may we do this so that our children will know how to adore Him too.

¹ My son, do not forget my teaching, 
   but keep my commands in your heart, 
² for they will prolong your life many years 
   and bring you peace and prosperity.

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; 
   bind them around your neck, 
   write them on the tablet of your heart. 
⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name 
   in the sight of God and man.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart 
   and lean not on your own understanding; 
⁶ in all your ways submit to him, 
   and he will make your paths straight.^[a]

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; 
   fear the LORD and shun evil. 
⁸ This will bring health to your body 
   and nourishment to your bones.

⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth, 
   with the firstfruits of all your crops; 
¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing, 
   and your vats will brim over with new wine.

¹¹ My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, 
   and do not resent his rebuke, 
¹² because the LORD disciplines those he loves, 
   as a father the son he delights in.^[b

Proverbs 3:1-12

3 days!

Avoid Being Pruned (4)

It was just this past Sunday that our family was over at another family’s house celebrating the husband's achievement of a Masters of Divinity.  He, another friend – a local pastor – and I were discussing how church’s become stagnant, how many begin to face inward and only see the faces of those in the church, that outreach is now an unreasonable burden or an undesirable habit.  They somehow decide that the world isn't good enough to receive their grace anymore and their own body is more important. 

In the midst of this discussion, I suddenly remembered a sermon message back in my college days where the speaker/business man/discipler (I guess you could call him), devoted his life to studying the discipleship of Christ and how it applies to businesses and churches.  One of his stories dealt with a church he was involved with.  It was surely inactive and dead inside.  Those who wanted to move in Christ’s direction were sluggishly moving in mud created by the other members; there were getting nowhere.  It wasn't until senior leadership made the bold decision to come together and agree to prune the church.  They decided which one’s were producing fruit and which weren't.  They then approached those that weren't and graciously told them: “We are not seeing growth in your life.  We are not seeing fruit.  We want this church to grow and thrive and it is not happening so with you here.  If you wish to stay, to grow fruit, and move along with us, you can stay; however, we will not be offended if you leave.”  60% of the body left that day.

After telling that story, the local pastor in our discussion mentioned, “Have you heard of Mark Driscoll?”  He’s the pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle – very different from the Mars Hill of Grandville, Michigan.  Years ago, he had moved into another home and noticed he had a very large apple tree in his backyard.  The first year he was there he couldn’t wait for the fruit to appear.  He expected hundred of fresh, sweet apples that first fall.  There were none.  Baffled, he hired a gardener to investigate.  The gardener advised him that the tree needed to be pruned in order to produce any fruit.  So Mark let him go at it.  As he watched the gardener, his face turned gradually from pleasure to shock.  He kept cutting off more and more branches until he was finally done.  When he came out, it didn’t look like a tree but rather a trunk.  Wondering what had been done, the gardener told him bluntly, “It’ll either produce more fruit that you can handle in two years time or it’ll die.”  Two years later, Mark had more apples than he could handle. 

That’s the not the end of Mark’s story however.  In his large church of 3,000 to 4,000 members, it was going nowhere.  Outreach was nil and people were only focused on themselves.  In fact, he didn’t know if the staff was going along for the ride as well.  So, in application of his apple tree, and ultimately application from John 15, he pruned his congregation.  He stood up one Sunday and announced, “If you are a member here, your membership has just been revoked.  If you currently are on staff here, you’re fired effective immediately.  You can all reapply tomorrow for your membership or jobs.”  He lost 1,000 members that day.

Both stories of “church pruning” are very drastic just like pruning of Mark’s apple tree; however, both churches began to grow and thrive as a result of cutting off its dead branches.  Chances are you won’t be pruned from your church the way that these churches handled their dead members, but if you worry that this could happen to you, chances are you’ve already allowed yourself to be pruned from the vine; you’ve been trying to do it all on your own anyway.  “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (v. 4).

I’m not saying this to scare any of you – although a healthy fear of not bearing fruit is a good for us – but rather I’m saying this for myself.  Am I bearing fruit?  Can people pick from my fruit, taste, eat of it, and find that it is good and pleasing?  Thrive from the vine.  Enjoy its nourishment.  The fruit you bear is sweeter than anything you could ever try producing on your own.

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:1-13

4 days!

Five Loaves (5)

In the midst of pain and strife, how compassionate am I?  A close friend of yours has died and, whether or not you knew it was coming, he or she was dear to you.  Remember when Jesus cried over the loss of Lazarus (John 11:35)?  And then after several days of him being laid in the tomb, Jesus went, commanded the stone be rolled away, and raised him from the dead.   This time the one who was preparing the way for Jesus, John the Baptist, was on Herod’s radar and had him executed, beheaded.  Boy, wouldn't that be a sight, Jesus healing John after that?  Even though that wasn't in his plan, the Father’s plan, I’m sure he could have done it.

So Jesus heads to a solitary place by boat, but a crowd of people followed him there.  If that were you, wouldn’t you be telling them, “Please go.  I need time alone with God.  I need time to grieve.”  However, Jesus instead, after hearing that they had come, went to them and healed their sick.  By evening, the disciples suggest the crowds leave.  They are far from their own towns and if they don’t leave soon, they could go hungry.  My take: it seemed more like they were tired of the crowd and wanted to retire for the night.  Nonetheless, Jesus replies, “They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat.”  Wow.  Talk about scary.  Does Survivor come to mind?

So they gave Jesus all they had, five loaves and two fish.  After Jesus directed the people to sit and gave thanks, he broke the bread and gave the food to the disciples to feed the people.  Not only were they satisfied but they also picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces.

If we are to be his disciples, are we willing to have compassion on the sick and needy even amidst our own grief?  Are we willing to give all of ourselves, even an entire meal that was supposed to be for you, to feed the sick and needy?  How miraculous it is to serve with Jesus, that He is compassionate on us when we don’t understand how He will do it and yet allows us to be a part of His miraculous works?

Trust in Him with all that you have.  Don’t be surprised by what may follow afterward.

¹² John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

 ¹³ When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

 ¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

 ¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

 ¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

   ¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Matthew 14:12-21

5 days!

Do You Believe He Can? (6)

It was winter 1999 in Southwestern Oregon.  As a helper with the youth group, we traveled up for a weekend retreat with other youth groups for fellowship, learning, and good ol’ fashioned winter fun.  Some of the activities had already taken place and we were now headed to a long-awaited place:  a grand tubing hill out on the mountainside.  There was no rope to pull you up to get to the top.  This was a manual as it gets.  The hill was about 150 feet up and you carried your own tube.  It was helpful if you had a partner who carried a tube with you, but it was only a little easier.  You’d think that after just one run climb up, you wouldn’t want to do it again; however, after going down, it somehow magically wiped the memory of the tireless climb clear from your mind and new energy to climb it was also renewed.  It was a long, steep slope and, if you took the center run, you would find a hump at the bottom that sent you flying.

The leaders and chaperones told the kids to be safe but, most of all, to limit two people to a tube.  No linking or “chaining” up of tubes was allowed.  Well, there was one guy in the group who apparently avoided the advice.  After several single runs, he encouraged a group of kids to take their tubes up and wait at the top.  There were fourteen kids with seven tubes.  He thought a train of tubes going down the hill would be such a blast.  Who was this irresponsible person?  That guy was me.

We each paired up. A fourteen year-old girl, Alli, rode with me.  With seven tubes linked up and two riders on each tube, we began the descent.  A train is exactly how we went down, in a straight line.  The tubes began slowly, picked up speed, and even more speed.  The sheer mass of people participating created a rush of speed and adrenaline until I realized there’s a hump at the bottom of this hill.  There’s a huge hump with a huge line of people about to hit it!

The straight line of tubes looked like a bowling ball streaming down an alley.  We hit the hump.  The “ball” turned into the pins scattering violently.  It was indeed a strike.  Bodies tumbled everywhere.  We all lifted our snow-covered faces, removing others’ legs and arms hanging over us.  Actually, only thirteen of us were able to get up.  Alli laid under the bulk of the riders.  She wasn’t moving.

We called the leaders over along with the camp nurse.  When the nurse arrived and checked Alli’s condition, I saw fear in his eyes.  He told us firmly not to move her for fear of a neck fracture.  However, long minutes went by, she said nothing but only painfully moaned and yet with no energy to exert it loudly.  I could tell she wanted to scream.  More minutes passed and it appeared as though her eyes were rolling back in her head.  The nurse feared she was going into shock and, with her body also laying the snow so long, he feared her body temperature was falling.  He asked us all for our jackets and with 6 men they carefully lifted Alli a few inches up so that jackets could be placed between her and the snow.

What have I just done?  God, I am so sorry.  I am fully responsible for this mess.  And then I heard Him say, “Do you believe I can heal her?”  What?!  I looked around wondering if someone had whispered into my ear.  And then I heard it again.  “Do you believe I can heal her?”  There was no mistaking it this time.  I do, but I didn’t really.  And the strangest image came to.  He was giving me a $20 bill.  “If you believe I can heal her, then you would believe you already have this in your hand when you asked me for it.”  He wasn’t saying that if I just asked for money that would give it to me.  On the contrary, it was an image that said if I believe He can heal her, it has already been done, maybe not at that moment, but it would be done and there would be no mistaking it.

So I prayed I believe you can heal her, I believe you can hear and then it changed to I believe you have healed her, I believe you have healed her.  I repeated it over and over in my mind, and then began whispering it over and over.  Finally I was praying it audibly; others could hear me.  I believed I was holding $20 even though I wasn’t.

Nothing magical happened.

Instead, after twenty minutes of huddling and praying with our winter coats under Alli, we were told the ambulance was on its way and the best we could do for her was get back onto the bus and head back to camp.  The ambulance was forty-five minutes out.  It would need another forty-five to get back to the hospital. 

The bus ride was quiet, somber.  I could tell most were praying quietly, some still singing psalms and praise songs.

When we arrived back at camp, we got some of our winter gear settled in our rooms and headed to the dining room for dinner.  What is happening with Alli was on mind.  About an hour had passed since we arrived back at camp, we finished up dinner, and headed over for worship.  This praise was different though.  It began high, dynamic, and filled with spirit, but while I was worshipping I was asking Him How are you going to do this?  Into the second song, one of the leaders came over to me and told me that someone in our group broken their hand.  “Really?  You’re kidding me.”  He wasn't, as we shared a look with each other like how much more can we expect today?  And then he said, “Oh, and Alli is back.”  Did he really just say that? “What did you say?”  “Alli is back and she’s just fine.”  I thought he was kidding until just a few moments later, she walked in.

I wept in utter amazement and continued worshipping with others.  Oh how great He is.

I know this story was long and I wish I could have kept it shorter, but this story came to mind after reading my life verse today.  The apostles tell Jesus, “Increase our faith!”  Jesus replies, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you” (v. 5, 6).  You want to be confused?  The disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith and he tells them that just a mustard seed of faith is powerful.  A mustard seed.  You can hide one of them in the wrinkles of your hand; yet, the mustard seed can produce a very large tree where hundreds of birds could perch.  But that’s not even the craziest part.  If you have faith that small, not only can it grow into a large tree, this faith can command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea.  Why in the world would ever want to do that?  And that’s where human logic hits an immovable wall.

God’s plan and timing are only known to Him, but if we believe in Him, trust in Him, submit ourselves completely to Him, He will blow you away.

¹ Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. ² It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. ³ So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister^[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. ⁴ Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

Luke 17:6

6 days!

Seventy-seven Times (7)

What is the most difficult thing in life?  Is it finding a job? Doubtful.  Is it completing a marathon?  Although difficult to do, probably not.  Is it getting a degree?  Although it requires perseverance, not the most difficult.  Growing up, the hardest thing at the time was soon trumped by something harder: getting through high school, finding the right college, “arranging” a wedding (hey, I had some say), finishing college, being a daddy… the list goes on.  Each stage in my life is trumped by something more difficult.

I am surely confident in many earthly things – maybe overly confident at times – but confident nonetheless in being able to navigate through life.  But what I find is my biggest hurdle isn’t something that can be measured.  It is forgiving someone who has hurt or wronged me.  It actually is easy for me to forgive others when they don’t mean to hurt me, as long as I can sense that immediately; however, if I cannot sense that, it is not just difficult but very difficult for me to offer forgiveness.

Matthew 18, commonly known for holding the standard or procedure for peacefully addressing the wrong you have with your brother/sister, shows Peter asking Jesus how many times he should forgive them.  He continues, “Up to seven times?” (v. 21)  Jesus answers him, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (v. 22). 

But rather than leaving it at that, Jesus, like he usually does, tells the disciples a story to help it sink in.  He talks about how a man, who has a debt of ten thousand bags of gold, was brought before his master (debtee).  The master orders that man, along with his wife and children, to sell everything to repay the debt.  Upon hearing this, the man falls to his knees and begs for patience and that with time he will repay the debt.  Stopping the story here, it would be easy to assume two likely outcomes:  One, the master would show kindness and offer a payment plan in order that he would get repaid for the outstanding debt, or two, the master would stand firm by his first initial decision and have the man and his family sell everything to repay the debt.  Neither happen.

Amazingly, the master eliminated the debt and let him go. 

Read that again.  Rather than doing what we would naturally expect, a way for the master to get his money back either through grace or force, he does neither.  He purges the debt.

This is how we are to forgive and I will be the first to say that if I was the master in this story, I am confident I wouldn’t have made that decision.  How sad that is; it is the most difficult thing for man to do.  To forgive is to forget, to obliterate the past and the guilt.

The story doesn’t end here, though, because after the man had received an impossible clemency, he found his own debtor who owed him a mere fraction of the amount he originally owed his master.  When demanding that man repay him, choking him, and the man pleaded for grace, he had none and had him thrown into prison.  Wow, isn’t this how we Christians can be?  We ask for grace from God, who gave us the ultimate price, purged an impossible debt, and yet we can’t forgive our brother.

At the end of the story, the man who had received grace from the master was thrown into prison and, furthermore, his debt remained.  This is when Christ’s sacrifice and grace convicts me to the core.  If I have plead and begged for his forgiveness, and knowingly received it, how can I expect to continue with his grace upon me when I offer none to my brother or sister, even for the littlest offense?  That is because I can’t.  If I can’t forgive me brothers sins, yes seventy-seven times within the same day, then my Father can’t forgive mine (Mark 11:25). 

Lord, remind me of how great your grace and forgiveness is so that I too might acquire your character and do the same for my brother and sister.

 ²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

 ²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

   ²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

   ²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

Matthew 18:21-27

7 days!