Forgiveness or ... something else

What is forgiveness?

Recently, I heard a lecture on forgiveness, saying that it was an act of the will.  I have heard this before, and it made me think more about why I have found this difficult in the past to believe and to practice.

There are a couple of reasons why I find this hard to practice.  One is because I find myself naturally drawn towards trying to do everything right.  When I hear forgiveness is an act of the will and I just have to ask God to help me to accept it, I will have forgiven another person.  I know from experience that asking God for help or saying I forgive someone are not enough to truly forgive.  This may be an action of the will, but in my experience, the will does not surrender itself so quickly or easily.

The second reason why I find forgiveness hard to practice is that I am afraid of being hurt again if I let go of my hurt.  I am not sure how clear this may sound to you, but in my experience, if someone is bigger than you, you want to try to protect yourself by instinct, and you may feel unsafe to open yourself to this person just because of intimidation.  I have had this experience many times where I am overwhelmed by a person, and I feel like I need to keep a distance for my own safety.  I know that this doesn't work because we are surrounded by people all the time, and isolating does not really protect us.

One thing I have found helpful has been meditation on bible verses about forgiveness and God's love.  In memorizing 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, perfect love casts out fear, and Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, shall the blood of Christ...cleanse our conscience[...] I have learned that my mind and heart need to understand God's love and Christ's forgiveness first, before I can extend that love to another person.

I have also found fasting helpful, and I have received God's help to forgive in a difficult situation - a three-day fast was time set aside for God to work this in my soul.  I was able to forgive by the third day, and I believe God gave me this ability by the power of His Spirit.

Over the last several years, I have come to see that fasting, worshiping, reading scripture and meditating can be very useful but also require wisdom to be undertaken - especially, our heart and mind must understand and freely choose these - our will cannot be 'coerced' into the process if we are not ready or don't want to move closer to Christ.  I believe this is why God sent Christ to us, not vice-versa, because we need him on a daily basis, and we need him to help us choose the right things and desire to do his will day in and day out.  I still think that we should seek him, but if the heart won't change - it might not help.

Sheepish Business

Sheep say baa, stand around all day, eat grass, get wooly, and congregate.

It sounds like a really great life, no worries, no major problems.

Jesus wants us to be like this, so he can help us and be a protection for us.  Jesus said, "let the children come to me, and do not stop them."  When we can rest in the shepherd's arms of protection, we will find his rest. Jesus says "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light," and "come to me, all you that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Creator versus Creation

 

Mongolian River Taimen

See video: catching the fish for the first time

I was watching River Monsters last week, where fisherman Jeremy Wade was in Mongolia and he found out about a shaman who could help him find fish.  She put on a mask made of animal hair and invoked the river spirit and "prophesied" that if he made an offering to the river god, he would catch more fish.  It worked, and he treated it as a very normal thing that was "one more way to skin a fish."

Apart from the weird trance with the hairy mask, it seemed like a very harmless thing.  This got me thinking as to why, exactly going to the shaman is wrong, biblically speaking.

Reasons for this being against the rules, Judaeo-Christianly speaking, are

1. Creation
God is the creater and sustainer of all life, including Humans, Jeremy Wade is within his bounds to ask for help from God.  However, to turn to a spiritist is to break the rules and break the relationship with God, and to seek other provision than what God had provided.  By allying with the spiritual powers of shamanism and obeying them, Wade shows that he is not afraid to try this, if it will help him fish.

2. Covenant
Agreements that were already set down long ago, may not be known to Jeremy Wade, that God, as creator, has said many things about the way things ought to be done on earth.  These are in line with God's character, and are purposive to the effect of blessing a job which is done in the right way.  Although Jeremy ends up disobeying the shaman's advice, he chooses to go with his own ingenuity, and creates a lure based on the advice of the guide and the shaman, and eventually catches the fish "his way."

Jesus tells his disciples to trust him and cast the nets on the left side of the boat.

His way brings God's kind of abundance here on earth - he unlocks heaven for the disciples and his followers several times.  He knows something about god's desire to bless, and God's requirements - when God will or will not bless something.  What Abel knew and Cain did not.  What Jacob received, and Esau did not.

Firstly, Identity - Jesus knows he is the Son of God, and God is his Father.
Second, Jesus knew that whatever God had spoken, it came to pass, 100%.  Likewise, as Jesus was living out his true identity as the Son, his word had authority to heal and must come to pass.
Thirdly, Jesus never broke his word, and never went against the words God had spoken.

In these three ways, Jesus had access to healing power, miraculous power and salvation authority, as his purpose was to demonstrate God's kingdom on earth and manifest its power.  To show that he had come from God and that he had true authority from heaven.

So the work for his followers, and for all who heard Jesus speak was simply this: "believe that I am he" simply- just as God tells Moses to tell the people of Israel,"I AM has sent me to you."  Apparently this was all the credentials Jesus (and Moses) needed to be believed.

If God does not require things such as Master's Degrees, BMW's, or convincing arguments - as symbols of divine power and authority - are we not tempted to look to these things as well - before we can believe someone or trust them?  Is it true that people who are good looking, wealthy, or effective communicators have an "in" with God?  Or is it that we do not want to believe in a God who has no distinctions between rich and poor, effective or stumbling, beauty and plain?

I only mention this as one stumbling block to belief- there are many other excuses we can give for not believing God (or Jesus, Moses).  How many of our churches would welcome the humble saviour today?  And if Jesus is not welcome in our churches - are our hearts the same?  Or are we guilty of trying to change the rules to fit our own system of ideas?

Whose Inscription Is It?

 

 

Jesus - The Example

Of how to interact with our culture - he asks, "Whose inscription is on the coin?"
Whose face and name does it bear, and to whom does it belong - whose kingdom?

Setting aside the kingdom theology questions for a moment, we can at least say that Jesus had been speaking about another kingdom that was near, or coming, and he stood for that kingdom.

To interact with the culture - we mean to ask first of all - to whom does this or another thing belong - whose mark or inscription do we find written upon it.

Is it Caesar's?  Where are the ultimate allegiances of these cultural goods - what would their inscription be?

This question is not merely a matter of branding or ownership of the cultural product.  Nike is grossing $$ yearly - on average - their CEO, owner __ Smith.
Facts and figures do not tell us what we are looking for, although the brand stands for something, we might need to look at the ads to tell us something about what is the "real" - the spiritual - idyllic or idol being sold and bought for huge amounts of money...

The apostle Paul distinguished himself from the counterfeit apostles by his own personal suffering "with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death." and evidence of God's miracles, "The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works" ESV 1 Corinthians 11,12.

He is defending himself to the church - Christians who had begun listening to the "easier, softer gospel" - the one that didn't include suffering.

My friend mentioned to me today that he only does things that benefit himself, and that's why he has chosen to follow God.  That's right, I thought -- if I am a Christian, I am doing only what is my best interest -- for example, when I 'lay down my life' I receive true life from Christ this may be painful, initially, however, it is much more satisfying to have true life with this cost.

Apart from rational arguments to follow Jesus, we also have the pathos of the story that if God became a man to redeem man through suffering on the cross, because "God so loved the world, he sent his son, that whoever believes will not perish, but have eternal life."

The same Mount Sinai God is still powerful.  To bear his mark, to be his follower is to bear the truth and to suffer following Him.  Is this scary? Yes.  But you belong to God - is there another you would rather belong to and follow?