February 24, 2011
God’s Patience
Today’s reading is a quick visit to the book of Judges (Chapter 10, Verses 6-16), which highlights the patience and the grace of God given to the Israelites who “did evil in the eyes of the Lord… they forsook the Lord and no longer served him.” Many times the Israelites had turned away from God to worship other gods; God’s justice quickly swept down upon them and misfortune came their way. Many times, the Israelites were conquered by other nations and they suffered under the oppression of their conquerors. Many times the Israelites were delivered from the hands of their oppressors by God. Eventually, the Israelites tried God’s patience to the point where a lesson needed to be learned:
The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the Gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” (Judges 10:11-14)
God challenged the Israelites to count on their foreign gods to save them; but they did not. God watched on as the Israelites were enslaved by their conquerors and they suffered greatly under the yoke of their captors. Yet, in these times of trouble for the Israelites, they became remorseful and their inside sincerity finally became true to their repentance towards God.
But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer. (Judges 10:15-16)
Even with so many transgressions against the Lord, the Lord still took back the Israelites with open arms. His patience with us is unfathomable. No matter how we may have sinned against Him, He always shows mercy to those who truly seek His forgiveness. For the same reason, we should extend the same mercy and patience for our spouses and our loved ones. No matter how frustrated we may become with the people in our lives, approaching them with patience and acceptance follows God’s example.
How can you communicate patience and mercy in your actions today?
May 4, 2008
The Unmerciful Servant
Today, while chatting with my wife and after an extended rant about my rough career experiences, she remarked: Why do you keep bringing up what happened in the past? It’s like you can’t let go of what happened to you, no matter how negative it was… and THAT is what may be keeping you from moving ahead with what God has planned for you now.
Very wise indeed. All I wanted to do was vent, but perhaps this was one of my more well-used soap-box speeches. In the past, indiscretions at the hands of past managers have made it difficult for me to do my work and in one case, it unjustly had cost me my job. For some reason, my anger and desire for justice (or revenge) would lead me back to retell and relive the experiences that had cost me so dearly.
My excuse: I simply wanted to remind myself of my past mistakes (in letting my guard down) and I didn’t want to let myself become a victim again.
My wife later added: Leave it up to God. If they have harmed you, they will have their day where they will have to answer for their actions. It isn’t up to you to handle that.
What she didn’t add was the most important lesson that Jesus Christ wishes to deliver to people everywhere: forgive.
Here I am, praying fervently each day for blessings, forgiveness and guidance from God and yet I still have a grudge in my heart against my neighbor. I tell myself time and again that they are forgiven, but that is easier said than done. If that was the case, there would be no need to bring up their name or their “crimes” in conversation or thought for any reason. Forgiven means also forgotten.
In Jesus’s parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35), a servant begs of his master for mercy and forgiveness of an enormous debt he had owed to him. The master magnanimously forgives the debt only to witness later that same servant unmercifully punish and harass his neighbor for a debt owed to him. The master was enraged and he had his unmerciful servant thrown into prison and punished for his outstanding debt. In Matthew’s gospel, we see that we cannot expect to experience the blessing of God’s grace and forgiveness until we also forgive the ways our neighbors have sinned against us.
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)
I pray today for the presence of mind and the strength to show mercy towards my neighbors and fellow humans. For whatever ways I have been harmed, I must release myself from holding a grudge and likewise from the desire for revenge or blind justice. Such incidents are totally in the hands of the Father, from whom Jesus Christ delivers a message of peace and forgiveness in response.
