To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2).
To every day has been granted 24 hours and to every year 12 months. Now this year has come to the end of its allotted time, and like all the years preceding it, this year too will be buried in the graveyard of history for ever. Similarly this earth too has an allotted time span. The moment that time period is completed; this earth too will not remain. When Jesus was on this earth, He too was given a certain time for His ministry. Your birth had its time and your death also has its time. You and I exist within the boundaries of time. The important question is, how do we utilize this allocated time? Time is precious and there is none who is rich enough in this world to buy it back.
In this year, many have wrapped their loved ones in a white sheet, and bid them final farewell; others are waiting in line for their time to be over in this year. In the days ahead, as has happened in the past, this world will not change for the better; rather, it will only change for the worse; irrespective of how many ‘Best Wishes’ you may exchange for the coming New Year. I assure you, if we ourselves will not change, our circumstances will not change either.
People often believe in vengeance and in God as a God of vengeance, waiting to come down heavily on the transgressors. But actually God is a God of mercy – had He taken an account of my sins, I wouldn’t have been here to write this. This yearning for vengeance fills them with a rage. An intense rage drives away the pretensions put up because of a person’s thinking, reasoning and conscience, revealing his true self.
A police constable was walking down a lane when a brick fell from a house under-construction. He narrowly escaped serious injury. Fuming with rage he picked up the brick, stormed into the house and bounded up the stairs; determined to break the brick on the head of him who had let the brick fall. He had just reached the top of the stairs, when the Head Constable resting there on a cot called out “Who is the fool charging up the stairs and without asking permission to enter?” Seeing the Head Constable, this constable’s anger immediately flew away, with a meek expression on his face and a humble voice he answered, “Sir, sorry to disturb you, actually this brick had fallen down and I just came up to return it.” Similarly, we are not really humble from within, but the humility we put up on the outside is actually due to some compulsion.
Our temperaments crave for revenge. For so many things our desire is to “teach him a lesson once.” But fears suppress our anger, and prevent us from doing something wrong. The holding back is not because of fear of God but because of the fear of Police, Law, punishment and society.
Look with me at Luke 9:54-56. I am paraphrasing the conversation that happened and is recorded in this portion: The disciples said to Jesus “Lord if you permit, we will call fire from heaven to consume these Samaritans and teach them a lesson.” But the Lord said, “You do not know of what Spirit you are. Does Spirit of God want to destroy anyone? Does He want to take revenge on anyone?” It maybe that we too are those who believe in a God of Revenge, and not in the God of Mercy and Forgiveness. It is not easy to forgive someone. Forgiveness merely in words is not enough; such forgiveness is futile. True comes from the heart.
Are you filled with antagonism against anybody, and desire that the Lord teach that person a lesson? Listen to what the Lord says about those who were not even worthy of forgiveness – “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.” (Luke23:34). The Lord said this for those who were not even seeking His forgiveness, rather were mocking Him at the instance when He was praying for them; yet from the cross, in His agony, He desired mercy for the very ones who had brought Him to that state. This is the work of God’s Spirit.
In Hebrews 12:24 it is written, “…that speaks better things than the blood of Abel.” What did Abel’s blood say? In Genesis 4:10 is written, “The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.” It was revenge that Abel’s blood was crying out to the Lord for. Only the blood of Jesus cries out even today “Father forgive them.” He wants to give forgiveness not chastisement.
If Jesus’ Spirit is within me, then why not His nature? Having come to the Lord Jesus, if I still harbor desires for revenge, my submission to the Lord is meaningless. If you are filled with bitterness for somebody, confess it to the Lord and ask Him to take it out of you. Once you are delivered from this bitterness and anger, then this New Year will truly be the year that will renew everything for you.
Not just from God, you have to also seek forgiveness from the one against whom your heart is bitter; whether it is your spouse, or some brother or sister in the Assembly. Your greatness is in your taking the first step to ask for forgiveness. If the other person happens to ask forgiveness first and you then just respond by saying “you too please forgive me”; that will be merely fulfilling a formality, and he would have wrested the initiative from you. Time does not wait for anybody, neither should you wait for “an appropriate time”, lest in prevaricating the time and year slips away.
The Lord has given you freedom and He respects it too. Therefore He places two things before you today – a blessing and a curse, and then lovingly, He counsels to choose the blessing (Deuteronomy 30:19).
He desires that “…go and first be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:24). How will you react to God’s counsel? What will you do today? Will you ignore God’s call to you?
This issue of ‘Sampark’ could be brought to you only because of your love and through your prayers. We hope that you will continue to similarly support us in the future too, enabling us to remain in contact with you through ‘Sampark’.
With best wishes for the New Year from the ‘Sampark’ family. – The Editor
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