The Cycle of Vengeance and Mercy

The Cycle of Vengeance and Mercy

There is an unfortunate cycle to vengeance. One man hurts another, so the second retaliates to hurt the first. The newly injured party, rather than feeling that all things are even, likewise strikes back. And so it frequently goes, back and forth, with neither the better for the injuries.

Vengeance cycle

Who benefits from the vengeance of man?

Jeremy Taylor once observed of revenge that it was “like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill, will return upon him with a greater violence, and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion.”

Biblically, believers are enjoined to forgo vengeance and revenge, remembering always that the Lord says, “vengeance is mine, I will repay (Deuteronomy 32:35; cf. Romans 12:19).” Learning to leave such matters in God’s hands frees us from this cycle and likewise reminds us that God will bring all matters into judgment, rendering to each man according to their deeds (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:14; Romans 2:6).

More than just letting things slide, however, God actually calls us to go one step further. Some might be content to merely hold a grudge for years without retaliation, and others might think that a mere lack of action shows a certain amount of piety, but the true man of God seeks to actively show mercy.

In the beatitudes, Jesus calls His disciples to consider the importance of mercy in His Kingdom and in His followers, teaching, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7).”

The beatitudes are a description of the qualities necessary to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven, a verbal picture of what it means to be a Christian, and a short list of some of the qualities necessary to find salvation through Christ. Mercy is certainly one of those necessary qualities, and without mercy, the Scriptures make it clear that men will not find salvation. The words of Christ also serve to remind us that just as vengeance can be cyclical, so too is there a cycle to mercy.

When we think of mercy, the first and most obvious application of mercy is that of forgiveness. Just as Jesus prayed on the cross, concerning His persecutors, “Father forgive them (Luke 23:34),” so too did He teach His followers to forgive all who trespassed against them.

When we pray, Jesus taught us to pray, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12; ESV),” and further taught in that connection, “if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15; ESV).” Jesus additionally taught that a lack of forgiveness would itself bring judgment upon us (cf. Matthew 18:35).

If we wish for God to forgive us, we cannot afford the luxury of grudges or the temporary satisfaction of vengeance but must instead learn how to forgive others.

Yet mercy is more than just the act of forgiving others. The mercy God teaches goes further, showing compassion, empathy and kindness to others. When the Pharisees failed to show these qualities in their interactions with others, Jesus reminded them of the passage which taught, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 9:13, 12:7; cf. Hosea 6:6).”

As opposed to seeking vengeance, God teaches us, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22; ESV; cf. Romans 12:19-20)” By doing so, we will “overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).” This active kindness is the true sign of mercy: treating others well regardless of what they may or may not deserve.

There is no better way to break a cycle of animosity and vengeance than through the proactive application of love and kindness. Moreover, not only will doing this please God, but it has the added bonus of potentially starting a different cycle: one of love and kindness. Imagine how much more pleasant life would be if more people were trying to pay back the kindness of others by themselves being kind. Such a life would truly be blessed.

 

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Coronavirus Prayer

Coronavirus Prayer

We all know that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jms. 5:16). We know that God hears and answers the prayers of His children (Matt. 7:7-11). Even when they are so weak, weary, and without hope that they no longer know how or what to pray for, God still: hears them, helps them, and gives them the strength to bear up and come bursting through their worst of conflicts as more than conquerors in Christ (Rom. 8:24-39).

prayer corona

His purpose is not yet fulfilled.

It obviously goes without saying that many of us are praying daily for a very swift and sudden end to this Coronavirus chaos so that we can get back to life as “usual.” But because we have yet to see many real and positive results from those prayers, we may be tempted to think that God is either not listening like He said He would, or that our prayers as His blood-bought children are not reaching Him for some reason. If you are living in accordance with His word as much as you possibly can and know how, but have grown a bit weary and/or ready to give up praying because of a lack of seeing any real, positive, tangible results over this (or anything else for that matter), then understand this: Whenever you are seeing no positive results in response to your prayers, it does not mean that God is not listening; it simply means that God’s purposes have not yet been accomplished.

Do you remember the souls of the saints, slain for their faithfulness, who cried out from under the altar, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth” in Revelation 6:9-10? God’s answer?It was going to be “a little while longer,” because all He wanted was not yet “completed” (vs. 11). What about the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10? He repeatedly prayed that his “thorn in the flesh” would be removed. God apparently heard His prayer because He responded to it. But He did not remove Paul’s thorn because He had something far better in mind for him at the time.

Finally, there is Jesus – the perfect, sinless, flawless Son of the living God. He also prayed fervently and repeatedly that God might find another way for Him other than the cross (Matt. 26:36-44). We know without a doubt that God heard His prayers -according to Scripture (Heb. 5:7-8). But we also know that no matter how difficult the ordeal He would have to endure (Heb. 12:1-3), that God had millions of reasons why He simply could not answer His only begotten Son’s heartfelt prayers “yes” at the time… and you were one of them (Rom. 5:6-11; Gal. 3:26-27).

Aren’t you grateful that our Father in heaven is wise enough, and loving enough, to know when to say ‘No,’ or, ‘You must wait just a little while longer,’ in order to accomplish His purposes, whatever they may be? Then pray on without ceasing brethren – and just trust Him like Jesus did! Do yourself a huge favor: Take a moment right now to read Isaiah 40:26-31 and see just how true these things are! God bless!

 

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Honor Your Mother

Honor Your Mother

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1-3). The command “honor your father and mother” was one of the Ten Commandments given by God (Exodus 20:12). It includes both the concepts of obedience of children and caring for wizened parents. Jesus made this latter point in Mark 7:9-13. The Pharisees thought that by giving their money to the temple, they would be excused from taking care of their parents. They were wrong. Jesus taught that the commandment applied just as much to our elderly parents.

Honor to those it is due, is not something for only one phase of life.

On mothers’ day, we show respect for our mothers by praising their role as child bearers. For those who have reared children, we acknowledge their dedication and sacrifices, but mothers are not perfect, even the most saintly sins. The first mother brought sin into the world, yet she was honored with the title: the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20). Jesus died for his own mother’s sins, but He honored her by appointing the apostle John as her guardian (John 19:26-27). We should honor our mothers despite their faults; Jesus certainly did.

Some are fortunate to have their mothers nearby where they are available to have an everyday relationship. Other mothers are not so near and are celebrated when opportunity arises. Yet other mothers have passed on and are no longer with us, but their life and memories may yet be honored. God’s command to honor our father and mother, however, isn’t about superficialities, but a manner of living that extends to every day of the week. May God bless our mothers, and may our mothers be godly.

 

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A Dried Up and Dying Tree

A Dried Up and Dying Tree

I recently limbed out and then cut down a tree in our backyard. Its upper extremities were mostly dead and dried out. However, the lower down towards the root I got, the more solid, living, and filled with life-giving fluids the tree seemed to be. But no matter. By cutting it up and separating it down into fireplace-long pieces, I know that all of it, over time, will become more deadened, dried out, and fit only for the fire. It seems to me that Jesus said something very reminiscent of that, regarding His disciples in John 15:1-10.

tree separation

Don’t become separated.

The fact is that right now, many of us as Christians are hurting pretty badly because of our Corona virus-induced separation from one another. We miss working, worshipping, serving, studying, and simply seeing and being together with one another, to encourage and feed off one another as the family of God here in Chouteau – as well we should! You see, as a local body of God’s redeemed people, God never meant nor intended for us to be socially, spiritually, physically, or geographically distanced, separated, or cut off from one another for any length of time (Acts 2:37-42, 44-47, 20:7-8; Col. 3:12-16; Hebs. 10:23-25).

The Bible very clearly explains how God Himself designed the body (or church – Eph. 1:22-23) of Christ, to function just like a physical body; how vitally important it is that we always maintain our closeness and interaction with one another within the spiritual body of Christ, just as a physical body depends on all of its different parts to act and interact together as one, in order for it to live, thrive, and survive (Rom. 12:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 4:11-16). We all know that a severed thumb, finger, or any other limb (albeit a human, plant, or animal one) cannot long live, thrive, or survive, apart from its attachment to, and interaction with, the rest of the body.

So; if you are feeling a deep and abiding sense of loss and loneliness due to your currently being cut off and separated from your spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ right now, know that that is a really good thing. Pain is an indicator that something is wrong. However, if you either have, or are becoming accustomed to and feeling quite comfortable with being cut off and separated from your spiritual siblings, then please know that it is only then, when it no longer pains or bothers you, that you could be in some real, serious, spiritual trouble (Rom. 1:8-12; Phil. 1:3-8, 4:1; Col. 2:1-3; Phlm. 1:4-7)… you know, sort of like a dead, dried up, cut-off branch, looking quite natural and comfortable in a soon to be burned up woodpile?

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Churches Without Elders Still Have a Shepherd

Churches Without Elders Still Have a Shepherd

We have often pointed out that there is a way of remembering the six words used to describe elders that can be easily remembered. Take the first letter of each of the six words and form a new word. Because an elder must have children, just remember this truth, “Elders must BE-POPS.” Those six words? B=bishops; E=elders; P=presbyters; O=overseers; P=pastors and S=shepherds. Each of these words emphasize an important aspect of what an elder must be and what he must do.

elders bepops

Only plurality of elders may oversee the Church.

God’s desire is for every church to have elders. Paul, on his first missionary journey, established many churches in Asia Minor. After he arrived at the most distant city, Derbe, he began appointing elders. “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch…So when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:21-23).

It is important to notice the importance of every church having elders. Because of abilities imparted when receiving the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, these infant churches were able to develop elders more quickly than in our day.

Elders have no authority outside of the local congregation.  Peter described their work and the limits of their authority. “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers” (1 Pet. 5:2). God limits the work of the elder to the flock where he lives. He cannot rule over multiple churches.

Because elders must be spiritually mature men, some congregations do not have elders. One of the qualifications for an elder is that he cannot be a novice, a new convert (1 Tim. 3:6). Those who preach in those places and those who are leaders should set as one of their highest priorities to develop elders. Appointing men to be elders who are not spiritually qualified, just so a church can have men called elders, creates many problems. Until that time arrives, church leaders must ensure that the church is fed, restoring the wayward is not neglected and the church is led to have peace—still waters and green pastures.

Even without elders to shepherd them, a church is still God’s flock. One point overlooked is that Jesus is described as the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:6). Churches without an eldership still have this Shepherd. He may not be physically present, but He is in their midst overseeing them and providing food for every sheep. If you are a member of a congregation without elders, do not think that you have no Shepherd.

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