Become a HistoryMaker
All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
The pages of history are permeated with people’s hatred and animosity towards each other and rebellion against God. God, however, is a God of reconciliation
Ancient manuscripts were written through a long and tedious process. The most difficult aspect was to avoid making a single mistake while copying out thousands of lines from the original using nothing more than a feather and some ink. Miss-writing a single letter would usually result in the disposal of the entire manuscript. Eventually, scribes figured out a way to dissolve the ink and erase the errors. Today, however, under ultraviolet light in the laboratory, scholars can see the corrected errors under the new writing. The analogy to our life is simple. In the past, we had no way of correcting the written pages of our life. Today, God has given us the means to dissolve the ink of our sinful past and gave us the means to write new, purposeful pages of our future. In His wisdom, God gave us this gift while we were still His enemies.
What did the following people have in common? Absolutely nothing. That is, before God stepped into their lives.
I. Harold Hughes
Alcoholic on the verge of committing suicide → Rose to become a U.S. Senator instrumental in reforms leading to increased treatment of addiction in his state.
II. Chuck Colson
The only person to ever decline a full ride scholarship to Harvard because of his arrogance and pride → In the midst of the Watergate scandal and political fiasco, he realized his insignificance, crying for the first time in a very long time, and committed his life to Christ. After this, he began a Christian prison outreach.
III. Tibby Sherrill
Driven by hatred towards Richard Nixon, Chuck Colson, and the Vietnam War, she demanded death to Chuck Colson and the impeachment of President Nixon. → Watched the fall of the Nixon administration and the imprisonment of some of his closest allies. This, however, did not bring the closure she expected. While searching for the truth she found the Truth, the Way, and the Life.
IV. Mary Kay Beard
Notorious bank robber with several murders and countless crimes. → While in prison she saw the suffering she brought to her children. Repenting of her sins she committed herself to a new life in Christ and was led to start a ministry to help the children of incarcerated parents.
V. Arthur Burns
An Astro-Hungarian immigrant who eventually became the world’s leading banker and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. → On numerous occasions he was wrongfully accused by Chuck Colson of self-gain, but through Christ, he kept no account of wrongs.
If God was willing to forgive all of us for our infinite transgressions, shouldn’t we forgive the finite transgressions committed against us?
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 5:44
