The Lessons of Lent: Father, Forgive Them!

The Lessons of Lent: Father, Forgive Them!

[My Offline Bible] Luke 23
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

[My Offline Bible] Isaiah 53
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

The most powerful driver of a person is the force of divine purpose. It will make a man endure anything, it will drive a person through any rough road or crooked way. It will make a man smile even in utmost adversity, even with a brokenheart, the journey continues.

Our Lord, Jesus Christ knew this so well. He was also in subjection to this principle. It was said of Him in the prophesies of His passion that He was led like a dumb lamb before His shearers, He didn't open His mouth.

That He didn't open His mouth, of course, doesn't mean He didn't speak any word. It means He didn't resist His oppressors. He didn't revile those who judged Him wrongly, He wasn't bitter to those who sentenced Him, He didn't count the offence of torturing Him against His torturers and those who murdered Him even got compassion from Him.

Why was He so magnanimous? What a big heart He has! He was a man on a mission. His mission wasn't to be the richest man on the earth. His was not to be the greatest army general of all times conquering nations and making slaves. He came, sent of love to save humanity from their sin, give them forgiveness and redemption.

He was on a mission to forgive the sins of mankind. He prayed, Father, forgive them. He didn't say too many words, He didn't have to, He was so focused on the mission. The only word in response to His oppositions was for the Father to forgive them. That was the reason He came and what an opportunity to declare His mission.

Even in the thick of contradictions and opposition, He didn't allow His personal pains to cover the essence of His coming, rather, those people doing evil against Him reminded Him of the purpose of His coming.

They were only telling Him why He came. That wasn't a time to get angry, that wasn't the time to use His great anointing to curse the same people He came to save. That wasn't a time to pull out the sword to kill or cause fire to rain or call innumerable company of angels to fight...

It was a time to pray for His 'enemies', He knew these people were judged already. They didn't need that to be rubbed in. What they needed was the forgiveness God has sent and the reconciliation with God they lacked. They needed mercy through the sacrifice going on...

Yet they were ignorant of what they or the rest of us needed from God. They were ignorant of their need for salvation and redemption, being pushed by the frenzy and the emotion of their hateful ecstasy.

So Jesus prayed that God forgive them because they were in the depth of ignorance. What grace! What focus!

The Lessons here...

People will contradict you and do all sorts to you, but you must maintain your focus on purpose.

Don't think everyone around you knows or understands the purpose for which God has put you here. Not all who even know will believe it and not many will support it. The pursuit of your purpose will throw up all manners of enemies. Some would even wonder why such grace is given to such an unqualified person as you,

Offence will be many out of that ignorance and apathy. There might even be life threatening offences. Character assassination and all manners of slanders out of ignorance of the good God has sent you to do even for them.

As for you, maintain focus. Retaliation is for the ignorant and vengeance is for those who have lost focus. If Christ remains Lord then you have no reason to be controlled by their offences to denying them what God had sent you to deliver to them...if you do, you become God and Lord to yourself over them...It is rebellion to God!

So let's check on our concentration quotient and identify that point we are being distracted by the offences of the ignorant!

Let's refocus and use the opportunity of opposition to pray for them just like Jesus Christ our Master prayed....Father, forgive them...for they know not what they do...

Good Morning!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

continues

Thursday, 26th March 2015 6:00pm

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