Tag Archives: forgiveness

Faith Punch

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My sister was 39 years old when she passed away five years ago. Two months after they discovered the cancer, it was all over. Her life had many joys, but puzzling anxieties consumed her, and in those last two months she recognized her ingratitude for the blessings in her life. However, this is also her redemption, because in the short time she had left, she found assurance of salvation, forgiveness for those who hurt her, and repentance for her failures.

Her passing is probably the saddest experience of my life. I was 15 when I decided to stop torturing her and start protecting her, but I was never able to fulfill this obligation. Too far away, too late, too distracted, too poor, too shackled. Yet, my efforts were fruitful; because of them, I was with her in the end, and she allowed me to speak into her life, to help guide her to that assurance of salvation, forgiveness, and repentance.

It is easy to remember only the very end, which is why I am glad a few of us connect to reminisce on the happy moments. This year, we are attempting something craftsy to remember her, and I did a poem. I remember her punches! Despite being so small, she was very strong! When I teased her, she would throw a quick punch that would take my breath away, all in good fun. She did not realize her own strength.

Though this poem may not mean much to you, I hope it leads you to recall with fondness those who have passed, both their struggles and their strengths.

Faith Punch

A Faith punch, her boxing about
A beauty that strikes, her craving deprived
A hunger for love, fury confounded
A toilsome joy, grinding life
A way within, always without
A one to share, more to strive
A bite of bread, baked for crowd
A lot to give, justice deprived
A mind all-retaining, the agony discounted
A fruitful dialogue, decaying time
A long gracious ramble, life-blood fouled
A heart restored, hunting the divine
A bout complete, homeward bound

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant

Beatitudes 7 – Peacemakers

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Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9, NIV)

We must first understand God’s peace before we can understand how to be a peacemaker. After looking through the use of the word peace in the New and Old Testaments, we find that God’s peace is an inner calmness resulting from a certainty of being right with God. This begins with believing Jesus is Lord and is proved by our obedience, which over time grows our faith and gives us God’s peace, no matter our circumstances.

In addition, Paul wrote, “having been justified by faith,  we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom 5:1, NASB) and in Acts 10 we see Peter explain the gospel of peace to Cornelius. Our gospel is one of peace, and the conversion experience is our first taste of the peace of God, when we know and accept the forgiveness that comes through Christ. Being a peacemaker means we are bringing this peace to others. However, it is not that simple.

The word for children that Jesus uses in this beatitude refers to a legitimate heir. When referring to Christians, it refers to maturity: an heir made legitimate by faith and proved so by obedience, which is the fruit of repentance that demonstrates maturity. Thus, Jesus was referring to those whose maturity in the faith has been demonstrated by obedience over some time. We cannot expect new believers to truly be peacemakers, because it requires a maturity in the faith that is acquired over time and through hardship.

A true peace is demonstrated by how we respond to struggles, and going through struggles is the only way we grow in faith and in godly character. Paul wrote, “…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope,” (Rom 5:3-4, NIV). It takes time and experience to see that suffering produces perseverance and character, which results in hope and leads to joy the next time around, since we have seen what comes from our suffering. We may not walk in God’s peace as immature believers, but as we continue to work through living out our faith, we should grow a greater and greater peace during our trials.

We become peacemakers when we are walking in God’s peace and sharing that peace with others, which does not necessarily mean that we are evangelizing. We could be sowing the seed that the evangelist reaps. Yet, I cannot stop here, because Jesus did not. In his sermon on the mount, he took everything to its extreme to teach us how to walk with Christ as a fully mature child of God.

One of the most difficult times to obey God is when we have to love our enemies, but this is the height of truly loving God, because he loved us in our wickedness and opposition to him (Rom 5:8, Eph 2:11-22). I know this is not easy, and that we are rarely able to “turn the other cheek,” much less truly care for someone who could be harming us. Yet, when we can love our enemies, what peace we have in our own hearts! It takes tremendous faith in God to live this out.

Also, while we do walk in peace by loving our enemies, and perhaps even create some peace within them as well, our love for them must include a desire to see them experience the peace of God by accepting his forgiveness and entering the kingdom of heaven. The heart of a peacemaker desires God’s peace even for our enemies, which means we desire to see them saved and with us in heaven!

This is all very theoretical and easy to write and talk about, doing it is entirely another matter. Someone cut me off the other day and my heart was filled with anger and revenge, and this just after praying that I would love my enemies. It is so easy to allow our hearts to drift away from righteousness in moments like that. Still, this is only the beginning. What if someone at work, who we have helped many times, is now trying to get us fired so they get an advancement? There is a personal relationship there, a hurtful betrayal, and a need for justice that wells up within us. We must forgive them, and love them, and not seek revenge or try to harm them in any way. Not easy!

Finally, what if someone we love very much is murdered, could we forgive the murderer? Could we love them, and want to see them in heaven with us? I cannot begin to understand that pain, so this is entirely academic for me. Yet, I want to be able to love my enemy, so I must begin by loving that guy who cut me off, and sharing God’s peace with the guy who betrays me, and hope that I am strong enough to want a very real, even violent, enemy to find peace with God through Christ. I want that peace dwelling within me, and I want to share it with others.

And if we can love our enemies, even desiring they experience the peace of Christ’s forgiveness, then how should our relationships with our spouses and fellow Christians look? Full of peace and joy and hope. Is that what Christian homes and fellowships look like? Is what appears on the surface of things genuine, or only a show? Remember, we must be pure in heart before we can fully experience God’s peace and reach the peacemaker’s maturity of faith and intimacy with God.

I do not want to minimize how challenging this can be, especially for those who have experienced tragic hurt and loss. When this life seems so awful, we must remember that our present peace comes from a hope in heaven, not this life (Heb 12:2). The reward of this great struggle is becoming a mature heir of God, no longer a slave or even a friend, but an intimate family member in God’s kingdom. John was so excited about this: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1, NIV). And when we feel the same way, we will want to love our enemies, forgiving them, and sharing God’s peace with them.

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant

Beatitudes 5 – Mercy

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Matthew 5:7, Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (NIV)

The word used for mercy here assumes the ability to fill a need. Jesus was not speaking of feeling pity or compassion, but actually doing something for those in need. Matthew gives many examples of Jesus demonstrating mercy by healing people who were blind or lame. These people were not able to work and had to rely on begging to survive, which meant that healing them was much more than mere physical restoration. Instead of struggling to survive, they could work and provide a more comfortable living for themselves.

For us who do not experience creation miracles, we can still fill the needs around us according to our ability, especially within the church. The apostle John said it this way:

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:17-18, NIV)

Christians must live this out (John 13:34-35). If it does not come naturally, then we must cultivate this quality within ourselves by looking for needs and recognizing ways we can help. This will always require a sacrifice, as well as a confession of our pride and selfishness. It may mean deciding against the luxury model car, the bigger house, the fancier clothes, the overseas vacation, etc., and instead willfully choosing a more modest lifestyle so that there is extra that can be used to help those who cannot afford a vacation, because they struggle to make rent. Think about how it looks if some in our church are comfortable and living at ease while others struggle to survive? If we do not take care of one another, how can we convince the world we have love in us?

There is more to mercy than helping others materially. Notice the reward for mercy is receiving mercy. If that seems odd, look at something else Jesus said. Shortly after the beatitudes, Jesus shows us how to pray, and immediately follows it with this statement:

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matt 6:14-15, NIV)

If this statement seems more like hyperbole than something intended to be literal, read the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35, and notice what happens to the servant who failed to show a fellow servant a fraction of the mercy he had received from his master:

Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. (Matt 18:32-35, NIV)

Without forgiveness, our eternal destiny is hell, a place of torture where we must pay the debt we owe. When we truly recognize how much we need God’s forgiveness, and see that we must extend this same forgiveness to others, the weight of these statements becomes tremendous. This is why the beatitudes, and our Christian walk, begin with being poor in spirit and recognizing how much we need God.

Our offenses against our perfectly righteous heavenly Father are infinitely more egregious than anything we could hold against a fellow sinner. This makes the parable of the unmerciful servant so pertinent and compelling. Anger is a good indicator of unforgiveness within us because it quite simply is always unforgiveness. It needs to be countered with mercy.

Personally, I know that I often mask my anger by calling it frustration, impatience, or even hurt, yet no matter what I call it, there is still a need for mercy and forgiveness in each circumstance. My frustration has never helped a situation get better, but when I have an attitude of mercy and genuine compassion, resolution always comes more peacefully. And when it does not, I must remember Jesus on the cross and allow myself to be low while others hurt or even oppress me, and then I can trust Christ for refuge instead of relying on my own strength or wit.

This may seem like a harsh and difficult standard, but it gets more so. Jesus taught that even our thoughts and words about others can reveal an angry, murderous attitude toward them.

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matt 5:21-22, NIV)

When we think or speak of someone as an “idiot” or call someone “stupid,” we are murdering them in our heart by making them less than us, or putting them beneath us. The Pharisees were doing this when they questioned Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus’ response was that he came for the sick, not the healthy, and that the Pharisees did not understand Hosea’s writing, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hos 6:6, Matt 9:13, 12:7)

Imagine how we appear to God… would words like “idiot” and “stupid” apply? The error of the Pharisees was failing to see how much they fell short of the glory of God and acknowledging their need for the obliteration of their own sin. We do the same thing when we insult other people. Politics is an obvious example, because even within the church I see so many Christians putting others down for ideas they believe are good for the country. We must be different from the world! This demands humility, which is why the first three beatitudes build a foundation of humility.

We desperately need God’s mercy. However, there is a requirement for his mercy: If we are not merciful, we do not receive his mercy! This ought to compel us to grow in mercy. If all of us in the body of Christ are taking care of the needs within the church, then everyone’s needs will be supplied. This means not only material provision, but an attitude of the heart and a perspective of mercy in our thoughts and words. We must extend mercy to others, we must forgive others, and we cannot see others as beneath us or even as equal, but rather as being better than us (Phil 2:1-4). The result will be a true family of Christ.

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant