I Walk with The King

To Heavenly Land; the Kingdom of Right–the Pathway of Light…

Monthly Archives: April 2013


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Who I Am, Who He Is

491TIMES

Last night, Laura and I were in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher; just talking about stuff, when our conversation turned to the things of God. Our discussion was about forgiveness and mercy, because we had just watched a television show where a bad man repented and was baptized at the end. Laura commented that it’s amazing how anyone who truly turns to God can receive His forgiveness for each and every sin in his or her life.

That made me reflect on how anyone can change and become a new person. Sometimes it’s tough for me for give others that second chance–especially after they have betrayed my trust, or if I’ve seen them revert back to old behaviors again. When the second chance becomes the third and fourth, it’s easy for me to become skeptical and hard-hearted toward that person. It makes me doubt their sincerity. The apostle Peter also struggled with forgiving others, and asked Jesus how to handle the oft-offending brother:

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV

Jesus used a euphemism here with Peter. The takeaway here is not that Jesus commands forgiveness up to 490 times per day (for who could even offend that much?), but that we should offer sincere forgiveness of trespasses against ourselves. And in case the disciples thought Jesus’ command unreasonable, He teaches them a parable to reinforce the point:

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”  Matthew 18:23-35 NKJV

Jesus commands personal forgiveness to all who wrong us. Why? He offers personal forgiveness to all His servants. Just as in this parable, what right does the recipient of the king’s grace have to grab his fellow-servant by the throat and demand recompense? None. As a servant of the King, I am called to emulate His most important attribute–mercy. Therefore Jesus commands me to personally forgive those who sin against me (from the heart) if I wish to receive His mercy.

You may argue that everyone should pay their debts (they should), and that this arrangement isn’t fair for the one to whom a debt is owed (it’s not). The exact same is true between God and me. So, to the main point–that God doesn’t forgive me because of who I am. He forgives me because of who He is.


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A Nation of Cowards

I learned something important about America today: we are a nation of cowards. I caught bits of news today as we all learned that the older brother of the Boston Marathon bombers died in a shootout with police, while his younger brother continued to evade arrest. The officials in Boston and the surrounding municipalities put a major U.S. city of approximately 2 million people on a lockdown because of one killer on the loose. One.

A scared 19-year-old kid who felt the entire weight of the United States law enforecement agencies bearing down on him hid in a boat. And 2 million Americans hid in their homes. Our fear-filled response to even small-scale attack (yes–this attack was small-scale) is that we allow other terrorists to witness validation that all they have to do is kill a half dozen of us, injure a few hundred, and the rest hunker and hide. With such a predictable effect, it’s no wonder that enemies of the American people persist in these same tactics, even when fighting overseas.

In difficult times, I tend to seek the words of Jesus Christ for guidence and answers to tough questions. How would Jesus have us respond to acts of terrorism?

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Matthew 10:28 NKJV

See it now? Our response to acts of terrorism is totally opposite of what Jesus commands. There are two commands for us here. First, Jesus commands us not to fear anyone who has the ability to kill our bodies, but have no power over our eternal being. Second, Jesus commands us to fear God; who, if He wishes, can kill the body, but can also condemn us to total, eternal destruction in Hell.

In America, we cower before those evil people who use violence against our lives and the threat of such violence to control and manipulate us. And it works. Every time. At the same time, we pro-actively demonstrate our hatred for God, and deny His power over our very lives and souls. He hate His Word, we hate His ways, we hate His followers.

In the coming days, our citizens and elected officials will join in a debate over the balance between personal freedom and public safety; between government control and national security. I pray that in making decisions about America’s response to future threats, that our leaders will stand tall before our enemies and bow low before God. Until then, I will be no coward. What will you decide?


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Oodles of Love

We all put and keep things in our hearts that are very near and dear to us.  When I was young, my Grandmother Pullen used to send me a letter every year for my birthday and enclose two dollar bills.  The letter would always tell about working in their garden or Granddaddy’s big catch at the lake.  When I read her letters I always imagined being at their lake house.  My grandmother was an amazing cook – reading the letter I could almost smell and taste the fresh green beans and new potatoes from their garden, or the creamy, cheesy yellow squash she always made, or the fresh tomatoes, onions and okra that went into the best okra gumbo I’ve eaten in my life.  I could clearly imagine getting up early in the morning to go out on the boat with Granddaddy to check the trot lines, and maybe pulling in a 25 or 30 pound channel catfish…and what that catfish tasted like when Grandmother fried it up alongside all of those wonderful, garden-fresh vegetables.  I loved her letters because they reminded me of good times at my grandparents’ house.  And I loved the fact that the two dollars would buy me two Hot Wheels cars.  I was all about that!

But there was another reason I loved Grandmother’s letters.  I loved them especially because she always finished every letter by writing “I love you oodles and oodles.”  I can even remember so vividly the way she wrote the word “oodles” in her cursive handwriting…it was just one super-long string of loops!  Like the oodles never had an end.  I didn’t know anyone besides Grandmother who said “I love you” quite like that, which made it extra special to me.

Almost fifteen years ago now, when I learned that Grandmother’s cancer finally overtook her, I thought of the strong Christian woman she was and the wonderful wife and mother and grandmother she had been.  I thought about how good she was to all people.  And I also reflected on the pain that she endured as she fought her cancer.  And I thought of her letters to me.

I can tell you this:  the two dollar bills Grandmother sent me every year went quickly from the envelope to my pocket, and then just as quickly right out of my pocket for Hot Wheels, to be gone forever.  But the memory of the “oodles and oodles of love” she had for me that she sent in every letter is hidden in my heart to be treasured forever and ever.  I will never forget it.

In Ephesians 3:17, part of what Paul prayed for the Ephesians was “that Christ may dwell in your hearts…”  God’s love shown to you and me in Christ and His sacrifice should be not just put in our hearts, not just hidden in our hearts – He should be buried deep in our hearts and treasured always! 

Make Jesus near and dear to your heart and allow Him to dwell there forever and ever.