29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Ps. 107:29-30
Every so often, something grabs at my heart: the mercy and power of God towards us.
[Captain Tammie Jo Shults: “Thank you Lord. Thank you, thank, you, thank you, Lord.”]
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. Jam. 2:13
I looked at the lady seated in front of me. I had prepared some hard words for her and I was ready to let fly. I had all the reasons in the world to do so. Then, all of a sudden, God’s Word knocked on my heart.
“… mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
Mercy. That’s a word that ought to be always on our lips… and in our hearts. Unfortunately, much of the time our hearts are, literally, hearts of stone. Remember, under the Old Covenant, Moses carved the law into tablets of stone. But, under the new covenant, God’s law is written onto our hearts; hearts, not of stone, but of flesh. Now, we all know that there is a big difference between stone and flesh. One is hard and unbreakable; the other is soft and malleable.
Do we know how merciful God is towards us? He is incredibly merciful towards us. In the first place, He provides us with food, clothing, protection, and everything else that we need in this life. Yes, it is God who provides us with these things, despite our inclination to think otherwise. Some even attribute it to luck! You are not lucky to be alive; God’s hand of protection has been upon your life throughout. And have you ever thought of all the free things of nature that God has given us to enjoy?
Secondly, and this is the most amazing of all, He forgives us of our sins. The Psalmist wrote:
“8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” (Ps. 103:8-10)
I don’t know whether you have ever stopped to think about this, but God forgives us of our sins more times every day than we can even think of. And I am not talking about the cases where we ask Him to forgive us. Much of the forgiveness is for sins that we are not even aware we have committed – just as much, unsurprisingly, as we are not aware of His forgiveness! He forgives us silently, without creating a fuss, or even making us aware of what He has done, because He loves us. He does all this out of compassion for us. God is extremely compassionate!
It has come to my notice that nearly, or all, of the people we interact with need mercy, and not judgment, from us. And more so those who have sinned or wronged us. But it is only when we are taking up our cross that we can carry this heart in us and be able to have mercy upon others. When we are men and women of law, it is so much easier to throw the book at someone. We don’t mind too much whether it will hurt, maim or kill them; as long as the law in our hearts is fulfilled.
But the Bible even says to feed our enemies! Not with that heart, of course. But here the Bible is talking about being compassionate even to our enemies.
We need to realize that people are as weak and prone to fall just as much as we ourselves are. That is why we need that heart of compassion, for that is the nature of God Himself.
Finally, the Apostle Paul tells us, when it comes to confronting a brother or sister who has sinned,
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1)
That talks of grace and mercy, not law.
[John Starnes reminds us of God’s merciful providence upon our lives]
1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. Lk. 19:1-9
I had set out to write about Zaccheaus, but things sort of got out of hand…
I am convinced in my heart that God has a special place for the man with a humble heart. Above all things, I am convinced, God hates a proud heart. And I believe it is the same with us. Consider the murderer who can say, “I am sorry” and mean it. Most of us would look at such a man with a different eye. Nearly every sin is forgivable if the perpetrator can show enough remorse.
With God, of course, it is much more so. Think about the case of David and Uriah in 2 Samuel 11. David did what no man ought ever to do – he slept with another man’s wife and, to cover up his crime, he had that man killed. Moreover, after Uriah was killed, David sent and had the man’s wife brought to him and David took her and made her his wife. I often wonder what any of us righteous people would have done to David had we been in God’s place. I will leave that to your imagination.
But God, who is infinitely more righteous than we, planned on doing worse than any of us could have conceived. He planned to kill David among a host of other things that He intended to punish him with.
But the Bible says that, upon hearing from the Prophet Nathan the sentence that God had passed upon him, David humbled himself before the Lord and declared,
“I have sinned against the LORD.” (2 Sam. 12:13)
The difference between God and us is that God is quick to let go of His anger. Upon hearing David’s humble reply, the Bible says:
“And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”
It was that quick with God. God is not quick to anger as we are. On the contrary, He is quick to show mercy to a repentant heart.
The word “also” here means that God hearkened to David when He saw David’s humility. He regarded David with a merciful heart.
I am also reminded of another Israelite king. This king’s name was Manasseh. Let us see how totally evil this man was.
“1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: 2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4 Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: 8 Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses. 9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. 10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.”
2 Kings 21:16 adds:
“Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.”
But on reading the account in 2 Chronicles further we find something else, something different about this king:
“11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. 14 Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah. 15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. 16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel. 19 His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sin, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers. 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.” (2 Chron. 33:1-20)
I used to wonder why God would allow such an evil king to reign for 55 years. That’s way too long for such a horrible man!
But then I realized that Manasseh actually reigned two terms in Israel. During his first reign he did all that evil. Eventually, God caught up with him and He had him pay for his folly by banishing him into exile. While in exile, though, the Bible says of this king:
“12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.” (2 Chron. 33:12-13)
God heard Manasseh’s humble cry and, in spite of the fact that he had done so much wickedness against God, God reinstated him to the throne, and Manasseh reigned for another term where he restored nearly all the work of the Lord that he had torn down during his first reign.
Yes, God does indeed have a soft spot for the man with a humble heart.
[Below: God shows great mercy to the repentant in heart]
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Heb. 13:2
Who are the “strangers” the Bible is referring to here? A Biblical stranger is any person – apart from yourself – who has a need. It could even be your next door neighbor. But primarily, here, it refers to people that we do not know or whom under normal circumstances we could hardly care about.
Our key scripture above refers, chiefly, to the account, in Genesis chapter 18, of how Abraham entertained total strangers who just happened to be the LORD Himself and two of His angels. Let us look at this account up close.
“1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.”
In this account, we can clearly see Abraham’s attitude to strangers in the way he treated the three men. Abraham had a heart of mercy. He lifts up his eyes and sees three men standing outside his tent “in the heat of the day”. This little detail – “in the heat of the day” – indicates that the men were tired, exhausted and in need.
Abraham does not know they are angels. The LORD was not wearing a three-piece suit, nor did He roll up in a private jet. He came on foot and He looked tired and hungry.
Clearly, the men have come a long way and they probably have a long way to go. Abraham decides he cannot let them pass. He must do something for them! His heart trembles with mercy – and generosity.
But first, he must get their permission. Abraham has a servant’s heart. Just because he has something to give to these men, Abraham does not walk up to them with his hands stuck in his pockets and tell them, “I can see you are hungry. Now, sit down and let me see what I can do for you. And don’t make noise. I don’t like noise around my house.”
Bless the Lord, no. Abraham does not talk or behave like that. Instead, he tells them:
“3 My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant.”
Abraham calls himself their servant and deliberately makes these strangers his lords. To which they replied,
“So do, as thou hast said.”
Abraham springs into action. Abraham has a large heart. Without thinking, his heart knows exactly what it needs to do to refresh these exhausted men. The rest, as they say, is history. The “morsel of bread” that he sets out to prepare for them turns out to be a banquet!
It could be that Abraham did not prepare a good and tender calf for every stranger who passed by… or, it may well be that he did. After all, not many people passed through the dry plains of Mamre in those days and Abraham’s heart was able to take care of anyone who had a need. But, whatever he did or did not do, Abraham’s heart to strangers, or people in need, is clearly revealed in these scriptures.
That is unlike so many of us. Many of us have an ‘accountant’ mind where keeping an account of the things we own is of more importance to us than helping someone in need. To many people, a stranger – or a needy person – is an intrusion into their lives! But it was not so with Abraham.
Has anyone passed by your house or your place of work lately, whom you felt was not deserving of your attention? They probably did not meet your (worldly) criteria of someone you needed to do a favor to.
Most people will bend over backwards to extend their warmest welcome to people they know or to people who look important – or to people they want to help – but not to “other” people.
But God comes incognito. When the Lord decides to visit you in person He does not send a celebrity your way. Nor does He send your best friend around. On the contrary, He will send a type of person that you couldn’t care about – or the kind of person that you loathe. That will be your angel. God knows our hearts and He knows all the pride and selfishness in us. This is a test that He therefore sets before us. Being the God of heaven, He is not going to give us kindergarten stuff. God will give us something that will test us to the core, for He longs to mature us in the Spirit.
But this test comes with a blessing. According to His good purposes, God sometimes does bless us materially to the extent that we do the same to others. But it is not the material blessing which we are to seek after, and that is why it is not a law for God to bless us in that manner. It is the fruit of the Spirit that is God’s true blessing to us. The Bible, in Luke 6:38, says:
“30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Lk. 6:30-38)
That is God’s character. But, again, notice God’s many promises to us when we “entertain strangers”. And God is faithful, which means He will fulfill every promise of His.
It all hinges on the heart. Do we have a loving, tender heart? Or is our heart hard and selfish and judgemental?
I thank God for the many men and women of God the world over who have exactly this heart. I personally have had the honor of coming across some of them. They are not necessarily the people who can preach the cross very well. But they are brothers and sisters who can live it.
God will bless these people with a heavenly blessing.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil. 4:12-13
Recently, someone approached my wife and I with a financial need. It was a large sum the brother was asking, but the circumstances mitigated it. Now, when someone comes to me with a need, I become very sensitive. Not just because the Bible says to be merciful, but it is also because I have been in similar situations myself and I know how easy it is for people to misunderstand you.
On the other hand, my wife and I don’t have much in terms of savings; actually, for years we have been trying to save and save, but to no avail. When this person came to us, we were in the middle of another attempt at “saving”. As far as we were involved, he couldn’t have come at a worse time!
Faced with the challenge, my wife and I looked at the options. We discussed the fact that she had no guarantee with her job, and that I as a pastor had no salary. Our kids are still in school and there were so, so many other things that we needed money for. As we talked on the need to protect our meagre savings, a particular phrase suddenly popped up in our conversation: “Anything could go wrong at any moment!”
When I heard these words, something extremely powerful rose up in my spirit. Something rock hard. I will never forget that feeling.
At that instant, I remembered the words of the Apostle Paul:
“12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
In a flash, my whole life passed before me. I recalled the many times when I had been down in life, times when I sank so low financial-wise that I was reduced to begging. (In such times, people will say this or that about you. Some will try to judge or shame you – while, conversely, you try to excuse or justify your situation. But the fact is, there are always times when God will take every child of His through tests of deprivation, one way or another.)
I then called to mind the other (not-so-many) times when I had more than enough. There was a time in my life when, if I had wanted to, I could have flown to New York City, first class.
As these contrasting scenarios flashed through my mind, I could feel a tremendous strength rising up in my heart. At the time that we were having this conversation with my wife, we were in town, walking. All of a sudden I came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road and turned to her. Looking deep into her eyes, I said, “No, my wife. We shall live. No matter the circumstances, we will live. We have been living all these years and you and I know it was never by our own strength. Much more so, now, we shall survive!”
I love experience. Experience is a good thing, however painful. That is why the Bible says we should not appoint to the office of a bishop one who is a “novice” (1 Tim. 3:6).
The Bible also says that a deacon must “…first be proved” (v.10).
People should not be appointed to office in church before they have been proved. ‘Proving’ talks of experience.
I believe the many experiences that God takes us through as saints strengthen our hearts. It is this strength that the Bible calls ‘grace’. Through the grace that God gives us, we can arrive at the place where we can literally laugh at life; a place where we no longer fear anything! We do not fear lack, nor do we fear being full. Not that we are stupid. But we know something that the world, the devil and ‘life’ do not know.
Many years ago, when I was in school, we read a book called “Things Fall Apart”, written by the renowned Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe. I no longer remember anything that was written in that book, but the title of the book is firmly etched on my mind.
Even if things were to literally fall apart in my life, I have come to the joyful realization that I would not fear, for both my heart and my mind are firmly founded on my God and King, Jesus Christ, who is my real Provider.
In both experiences involving me being in lack and being full, I made ghastly mistakes, mistakes which I am keen not to repeat. Unlike then, now, if I lacked and needed to work with my hands, I would work – as I do now. Conversely, if I were to have all the money in the world, there are things I would do in far different ways than I did before.
And yet, in all these things… the greatest mistake that I could ever make is the mistake of trusting in my self and in my means rather than in God. This is where I really need the death of the cross to work in me. In this regard, as in everything else, my heart’s cry is that I might pattern my life after the Apostle Paul’s:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
What circumstance could possibly terrify me when my life is hidden in Christ?
[In the African savannah during the dry season, when the ground is parched and dry and both it and the vegetation are all color-less, it is the women in their stunning attires who bring color to the landscape]
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Lk. 6:27-38
Recently, a brother came to my house and I could see from the look on his face that he was upset about something. He began telling me about another brother with whom they had started a business together. They would buy maize in the villages and sell it in town. The brother who came to my house (whom we shall call ‘A’) provided the capital; the other brother (we shall call him ‘B’) went to buy the maize. But ‘B’ had to go through middlemen, and getting the maize was a complex and difficult task.
Some time back, ‘B’ had lost money to a middleman through these dealings. Now, on this day, ‘A’ was telling me a story similar to the earlier one. ‘B’ had lost money again to a dishonest middleman. Both ‘A’ and I knew ‘B’ well and we knew he could not have played a dirty trick. The brother has such a lovely heart! But, apparently, he was much too trusting of worldly men.
Now, ‘A’ was livid. He said to me, “This is the second time this brother has lost my money. I feel this has gone too far and I cannot take it anymore. I will not lie to you, pastor, my heart has gone bad on account of this.”
When I looked at him, his eyes were red, and it was not because he had been crying. It was due to anger, deep rage.
I told him, “Brother, first of all, I empathise with your situation. It is a terrible situation. But we must look at this issue from God’s point of view.”
I also said to him, “In the world, the currency is money: pounds, dollars, euros and shillings. This is the basis of the world’s riches. But God has a different currency. His currency is not money. God’s currency is our hearts. Our clean hearts constitute God’s riches. You must guard your heart at every cost if you are to be of any value to Him.”
Worldly currency – money – is nothing to God. Money is nothing in the Spirit. It has no value. Fortunately, in heaven, God does not deal in money. He deals in hearts.
Money should not make our hearts go bad. Nothing of this world should make our hearts go bad, or become bitter. That is why Jesus said to forgive your brother “seventy times seven” if he sins against you (Mat. 18:21-22). The reason for this commandment is simple: it is because God expects our hearts not to be set on this present world. On the contrary, they have been taken up by the love of God.
The richest man in the world is the man who carries a pure heart. Such a heart is priceless. Such a heart can do all of God’s will. It is rich in the grace and love of God.
Notice what Jesus said in verses 35 and 36:
“35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
The Bible says here that even when we lend people money (or things), it should be as if we have given them rather than lending them. That means that the word “lend” is not in our vocabulary. Such is the heart that God is looking for in us – a heart of mercy. Why a heart of mercy? The reason is simply because the person who borrows from you is a person in need. Why would you not have mercy on a needy (and probably poor) person?
Of course, there are joyriders in this category, but they should not worry us. If we have the heart, we will also do good to them, and one day, they will see the light and repent of their joyriding. There is nothing difficult about being kind for a person who has mercy.
This is why Jesus also said we should love our enemies. “Love your enemies” is a scripture that we quote glibly, but there is nothing easy about loving your enemy. Only a merciful heart can do it. If you have a heart of mercy, you look beyond your enemy’s attitude and you see how much he is suffering in his spirit. Jesus said that our heavenly Father “is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”
I cannot imagine being kind to a thankless person, much less an evil one. Only a heart of mercy can do that. If you are rich in mercy, you can do that.
Finally, let us consider verses 37 and 38:
“37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Men and preachers have used verse 38 to try and get rich in the natural. We have all heard the sermons! But if it is a matter of money or worldly riches, the devil also can give you those things. But the devil cannot give you grace.
We cannot fool God. Since the riches of God are grace, He will give us grace, much grace, to the extent that we have mercy to do what God says we should do first:
“Judge not… condemn not…forgive… give…”
The more we do these things, the more grace we will have.
[“Judge not… condemn not…forgive… give…” This is what God’s people need]
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Heb. 13:2
God sets incredibly high standards for us as His children! But again, such stringent standards are almost nothing compared to the responsibilities that He has reserved for us in heaven. Amongst them, the Bible says, is that we will judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3). Now, we would hardly expect a person who will judge angels in heaven to be someone who does not care about the attitude of his or her heart – or his actions. That is why when such a person momentarily loses their faith and becomes careless in their actions, like Abraham did with Hagar, the repercussions reverberate far beyond anyone’s realm of sight. They are beyond catastrophic.
But, anyway, back to our subject.
Right at the outset, notice that this scripture is tied in with the exhortation to “Let brotherly love continue” (v.1).
A brother is someone whom you know, someone close to you. A stranger, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He is just that… a stranger. He is someone you do not know. In today’s violence-prone atmosphere, we could even fear strangers. But scripture here firmly instructs us that, while our first priority is to uphold brotherly love, yet we have a responsibility to those who are outside our fold. That’s a Godly charge. As people who have God’s nature in us, we should not only minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ, but also to strangers. There are believers (and church communities) who live such insulated lives they spend all their energy on themselves and their close ones.
But the Bible here tells us to “be not forgetful” because you can become so inward-looking that other people become of little value to you. You become insensitive to people’s needs, people’s suffering.
Hebrews 13:2 refers specifically to Abraham, among others. Abraham was a man such as you and I, but he entertained angels unawares. Now, you would expect that when angels visited men they would come in all their glory, trumpets sounding and golden wings flashing. But these came to Abraham’s tent in the form of strangers. Flesh and blood, tired strangers. Abraham’s story is well-known.
Here is the account in full:
“1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.” Gen. 18:1-8
It is clear from this account that Abraham did not know that these men were angels (and the LORD was among them!) Abraham just saw three men approaching his tent “in the heat of the day”.
Under such hot conditions the men must have appeared tired and worn out. Upon looking at their dust-covered feet Abraham knew they must have travelled far and that they were hungry. And Abraham pleaded with them to accept “a little” generosity from him. The “little water” and “morsel of bread” that Abraham prepared for them turned out to be probably the biggest feast of their lives, and the service they received from this dusty nomad and his wife far exceeded what any modern man would receive at the top Hyatt hotel.
“A morsel of bread”! God’s people are incredibly humble!!
It was not like Abraham spent all his time seated outside his tent forcing any Tom, Dick and Harry into his house to eat and wash their feet. But he knew when a man was in trouble, and he spared no effort in making them feel welcome and comfortable in his house. The heart that Abraham carried was what mattered.
When we are taking up our cross and following Christ, we will do the same. A stranger is someone who in a sense is at our mercy. A stranger is a man or woman who has a need. And he does not have to come from our denomination. The Bible is actually talking about people who are not our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we have the heart of Christ, who died for us while we were yet strangers, all because of mercy.
Meeting such a person’s need, therefore, requires a heart of mercy. May we not harden our hearts. Some, the Bible tells us, have entertained angels unawares.
In the final analysis, I wonder what a full, contented angel would do by way of thanking us? No doubt, much more than we could ask or dream! Such was the blessing that befell Abraham.
[Abraham took a heifer “tender and good” – the best – from his herd and prepared it for total strangers]
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Lk. 10:30-37
Have you ever thought on forgiveness? Have you ever wondered why we need to forgive people, and especially those who have grievously hurt us?
There was a time when I thought that in the above story Jesus was referring to actual robbers. But one day the Lord opened my eyes to see that the story is beyond flesh and blood robbers. Instead, it is about people who have been robbed of something in the spirit realm.
In the spiritual world, the devil is the real robber and he robs men and women of the things of the heart. And when men have been robbed of the things of the heart, their hearts become empty and dark. They therefore become bitter, angry, hurting, and sinful.
But notice also that this scripture is talking about compassion, and mercy. When we are carrying selfish hearts we think about ourselves. As they say, we look out for No. 1 – our own interests, our own lives. When people therefore hurt us, we think of how much we have been hurt. But when we carry the heart of Christ, we think of the suffering and emptiness in those people’s souls. That is why we can forgive them. Compassion is the foundation upon which forgiveness rests.
God’s Kingdom is all about the heart. Therefore, in this parable, Jesus was talking about the heart, a compassionate heart.
Let us take the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. His was a very real and physical experience. After they had finished crucifying Jesus, His many tormentors did many other hurtful things to Him. But I believe it was the words that they spoke to Him that must have caused Him the greatest amount of pain. In the Gospel of Mark we read,
“29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross. 31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” Mk. 15:29-32
Now, remember that Jesus was as much flesh and blood as you and I. The words came at Him like barbed arrows, and they were intended to hurt Him. Do you know what it means for someone to wag their head at you? It means they utterly despise you. And – unless you are made of stone – it hurts. It hurts real bad.
But, y’know, the way we are, when we read these words, we think, “Oh, that’s easy. I could take that.”
But no; it is not easy, and no, you could not have taken it. The way we are today, few of us could have come to taking the hurt. Why? Because our lordship the flesh has not been crucified and therefore our personalities are bigger than the Lord Jesus Himself. The result? We trip at the tiniest slight upon our perceived rights and dignity!
But what did the Lord do? Did He get bitter? Did He feel degraded and vow they would pay for it? No. On the contrary, he saw the misery in their hearts, and had compassion on them. And in His mercy He prayed for them:
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” Lk. 23:34
Jesus did not pray for His tormentors because “it is written”. On the contrary, His prayer was born of compassion, and mercy. By doing this, He revealed true love.
I can vouch for the fact that were it not for the nails holding Him up there, Jesus would have come down and even in His pain He would have held them all in His arms and – if only they would open their hearts – fill them to the brim with His grace. Did He not say so Himself? (see Mat. 23:37; Lk. 13:34)
Let us consider briefly the Apostle Paul. Have you ever wondered why Paul would write:
“1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” Rom. 9:1-3?
Paul wrote this out of love. In his love for his fellow Jews, Paul would gladly have given up his place in Christ for them! Such a thought is unfathomable..
Lastly, let us take a look at Stephen. When the Jews stoned Stephen,
“… he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60).
Did Stephen “copy” Jesus’s words at the cross? No. Stephen’s words came from the heart. Stephen had the heart of Jesus, a heart which had a limitless amount of love such that he could show mercy on his tormentors.
I once heard a preacher say, “Stephen asked God to forgive the Jews only this particular sin (of stoning him). They will answer for the rest!”
But those are vengeful words, and that is neither the heart of Christ, nor was it the heart that Stephen carried. Both Jesus and Stephen loved their persecutors, and they had mercy on them. If you love someone, you cannot ask God to forgive them only a specific sin and at the same time ask Him to make sure they pay for all their other sins!!
The story of the Good Samaritan is especially relevant in the case where a brother or sister has stumbled, or has wronged us. In both cases that we have reviewed above, God revealed His heart for the fallen Jews through the words that Jesus and Stephen spoke: “Forgive them”. His was a heart full of mercy.
In the same way, we ought to see deep into the heart of a brother who has stumbled and fallen. We ought to have a heart of mercy towards them. It is they who are actually suffering. They have been robbed of something; that is why they are doing what they are doing, even if they are doing it against us. We are called upon to lay down our lives for such brethren, if perchance they might arrive at a place of repentance.
It is in the same vein that we evangelize. We should not evangelize to fill up our churches. We should evangelize because we love people. The Apostle Paul says:
“For the love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Cor. 5:14).
Paul did not say, “The law constrains us”. Unfortunately, for many people it is all about the law. It is about fulfilling a certain program. But law and programs have no power to bring life. They have no heart. That is why the priest and the Levite – who were men of law – could not help the wounded man. They were more dead than he.
Love is sensitive in the Spirit and it keenly feels, not its own pain, but the pain of others. It knows, not what it has been robbed of, but what others have been robbed of. The heart of God is a heart of compassion, compassion beyond belief. He can see deep into the miseries that men suffer.
But the even better news is that God has the perfect remedy for our suffering souls. He has given His life for us. He has paid the sacrifice for our deliverance. If we will only humble ourselves and cry to Him, He will give us the grace we need to be rich again in our spirits.
[Below: “Go… go and do thou likewise”]
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Mat. 5:43-45
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful (Lk. 6:35-36).
I was shocked to learn recently that of the most hated group amongst prisoners by their fellow inmates are child molesters, also known as paedophiles. The other group that is equally hated in prison are rapists. These two groups of people are amongst those who are most likely to be attacked in jail by their fellow inmates. In other words, the men that we loathe most (criminals) do not like people who mercilessly prey on the weak.
Now, I know it is not easy to talk well of jailed criminals, many of who themselves have hurt people in extremely bad and cruel ways. But it is contemplative to know that somewhere in their dark hearts, these people can sport some form of kindness. I am also assured that, to the dismay of many of us, we will find many of these violent criminals seated in the front row in the Kingdom of God. They will have heard the gospel and they will have repented of their sins. And God forgot long ago that they ever sinned!
The heart of man is God’s abode. It can carry incredible riches – riches of the grace of God. That is why when we get to heaven, you will find these violent murderers seated up front. It is because one day, these men and women opened their hearts to the grace of God and it transformed their lives. God’s Kingdom is all about the heart.
Just consider the sun again. The sun has been around since Adam. That talks of how rich God is. That thing could be up there for eternity if God so desired, burning up and never diminishing. That talks of His power.
In the same way that He is rich and powerful physically and materially, God is more so spiritually. Amongst His many Godly characteristics (of which He is extremely rich) is the trait of kindness. Kindness goes hand in hand with mercy, and that is why Luke’s account is so helpful here. The root cause of kindness is mercy. Mercy talks of a soft heart. That is one reason why when we believe God gives us a heart of meat. He removes a heart of stone from us and gives us a soft heart so that we may be kind to people.
Kindness is something very deep, and spiritual. Kindness also speaks of humility. You have to be humble in order to be kind. Otherwise, you will lord it over anyone unfortunate enough to ‘benefit’ from your selfish brand of generosity, which is no generosity at all.
In the natural, when people hurt us we immediately think of ourselves. Self takes over. That is when anger and little things like resentment, and irritation set in. We are so weak!
But kindness is the basis for forgiveness. You don’t forgive because it is written; you forgive because you love that person. With God, when we hurt Him, He thinks of us. When we hurt God, He comes up close and looks us up. He is not thinking about revenge, but He is looking for where the problem is. Once He finds the faultline, He lovingly fixes it. That is mercy.
God is calling us to carry the same heart that He has. And that can only be accomplished in the Spirit when we go to the cross, just as the Author of our salvation went to the cross. The gospel of the cross alone can cause us to have the heart that Jesus had and still has.
[Below: The roundabout leading to Singida Town]
The word “retribution”, which I will be using a lot in this post, means “delivering or granting justice”, much like an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or a life for a life, etc.
But I will begin way off somewhere else.
The Apostle Paul told Titus about the Cretians, in Titus 1:12-13: “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.”
Paul was talking about a hereditary trait that these Cretians had.
I understand that in every society or culture, people have certain traits which they inherited from their forefathers, and which they can do nothing about, save by an intervention through the washing of their sins by faith in Jesus Christ.
Recently, someone told me about a certain people, “Once those guys put a black mark on you, they never let it go!”
I thought, How sad! How so very sad! How sad for people who cannot let go.
This was particularly poignant to me because of late the Lord has been teaching me what a merciful God He is. He has been showing me that His grace and mercy are extremely abundant; indeed, incomprehensibly so. The Lord has been reminding me of some things, and revealing new things to me. The following is the account of how the Lord has been going about with this lesson in my heart.
(And let me affirm here that I am not writing stories. I am writing something real and aunthentic that has occurred in my life).
The Lord has been reminding me of my past. He had been reminding me of how He saved me.
During the years before I got saved I did some really bad things which even today I believe I should have been punished for. With all my heart I feel I ought to have been punished for those things. I cannot for the life of me comprehend how I could have got away with some of the things I did; and that here I am, 25 years later, moving on with my salvation as if nothing happened.
In the course of my un-Godly lifestyle during those years, there was even a time when I had to run away from home for a time because of some things I had done and there were people who were coming after me. Had those people got me, I probably wouldn’t be here writing this blog. The world cannot stand any injustice done to it. It is unforgiving, much like those people my brother told me about.
At the height of all this un-Godly lifestyle, out of the blue the Lord saved me. And this is the part I keep wondering about: that immediately afterwards, there was absolutely no retribution, neither from anybody, nor from God Himself. It was like God put a protective arm around me and said, “No one touches you.” Right there in my hometown, I began living a completely new life. No one ever came after me, even though I had done things that deserved retribution of the highest sort.
Moreover, the word “retribution” never surfaced even in my thoughts. The sense of punishment vanished from my life. God had wiped all my sins away!
It is now 25 years since I got saved, and I am still amazed that I can walk about a free man, not just physically, but more importantly, in my spirit. There is not a whiff of condemnation or that word, which awes me so much, “retribution”.
Were you to bring up all the bad things that I did and bring them right to my face and tell me, “Here is what you did!” I wouldn’t understand a word of what you were saying. On the day the Lord saved me, He paid for all my sins more perfectly than if I had given my life to pay for them. I have absolutely no sense of guilt over those things.
Now comes the even more interesting – and exciting – part. Many years after my salvation, I find I am still doing some of the things that I was doing before I got saved. (I know this sounds bad on a Christian blog, but I just have to say it.) For me, this is worse than living the sinful lifestyle that I lived before I got saved. It hurts me so much to find that I can still do these things.
In Hebrews 5:12-13, the Apostle Paul rebukes the Hebrews for being forever babes in the Spirit. “Much time has gone by”, he says. “You should be mature by now, and you should not be doing the things you are doing!”
We like to believe that we have grown with the passing of time; but much of the time, to our shame, we are much like these Hebrews.
And here is where the climax of the matter occurs. Remember we are talking about retribution, the remembrance of sins and the punishment due. But in the Book of Hebrews, it is evident that even though Paul scolds the Hebrews, yet was there not mercy with God, he would not bother writing them anything else. He would say, “God is so tired of you!” and there end the matter.
But the Apostle Paul writes 13 full chapters to the Hebrews because even after failing to achieve God’s best for themselves, God still has hope for them.
God was reminding me that even though He expects us to grow, yet there is so much grace with Him.
Now, I know people take opportunity with God because they have a skewed understanding of God’s grace. They go and do obvious and acts of sin and expect God to forgive and forget. Of course, God forgives and forgets once we repent. But God also looks upon the heart. You cannot deceive God. He knows those who are sincere, and those who are playing games with Him.
The best part, though, is that, even if you are the playboy type, the minute you decide to get serious with God, the very next second God forgets all those things you have doing trying His patience. He forgives you completely and sets you on a course towards spiritual growth and maturity.
And for those brethren whom my brother told me cannot forgive… Many preachers teach on forgiveness. But it is impossible for a believer to walk in forgiveness if they are not aware of how much God has forgiven them, or how much ready and willing He is to forgive them the minute they turn to Him in true repentance.
That is why today, more than ever, the church needs to hear the message of the cross, and not another.
[Below: A ripe pawpaw]
Cross of Christ 