The Peril of Ignorance

In the book "Hell's Best Kept Secret", Ray Comfort related a tragic story. A pregnant lady was once walking along a riverbank with her child. Suddenly the child slipped and fell into the river. The lady was in the latter stages of pregnancy and also couldn’t swim. The only thing she could do was scream loudly. Eventually people heard her screams and ran to the riverbank. The greatest tragedy was that when they stepped into the river to retrieve the child who was dead by then, they realised that the water was only waist deep! That grieving mother could have easily saved her child but didn’t because of ignorance.

This tragic story illustrates the truth penned down long ago by one of God's Prophets to the people of Israel:

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..."

Hosea 4:6 KJV

The same truth was expressed in a slightly different way by another Prophet of old:

"Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge..."

Isaiah 5:13 KJV

A verse in the book of Proverbs also lends a voice along the same line of instruction:

"Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good..."

Proverbs 19:2 KJV

While not every case results in such tragic events as in the story of the lady who lost her baby, I have come across many people who could have achieved so much more but were limited by their lack of knowledge. Sadly, I find the same scenario among believers in Christ. In Ephesians 3:8, Paul mentions the endless treasures available to believers in Christ but unfortunately, not every Christian is aware of this. In fact, this may be the first time some folks may have come across this verse of Scripture!

One of the deepest desires of my heart is to see believers come to an increasing awareness and clear understanding of their riches in Christ. Going by what I've seen in the New Testament epistles, this was also a burning desire in the hearts of the Apostles. So much so that it formed a large portion of their prayers for the recipients of their letters.

"I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength. Ephesians 1:17-19 HCSB

"For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" Colossians 1:9 HCSB

Some people say "ignorance is bliss" or "what you don't know won't hurt you" but dear friends, this does not justify apathy or ignorance about spiritual realities for the Christian. In this new life in Christ, what you don't know will limit you. In John 8:32, Jesus said "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free". Knowledge of the truth brings freedom and sets you on a path of greatness and achievement of exploits in Christ.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing majorly from the book of Ephesians on some of the treasures available to us in Christ Jesus in the "Our Riches in Christ" series. Do not fall into the peril of ignorance. Come along in this journey, I believe it will be richly rewarding.

This week, I pray for you in the words of Paul: may you be filled with the spirit of revelation and knowledge, that your heart and mind will be flooded with the light of the realities of our riches in Christ, that you will grow and advance in your understanding of God's grace available to you. Amen.

Quatrains on Grace

This week I am sharing 2 poems that express God’s grace to us in such a beautiful way. The first is titled ‘The Cross’ by John Newton and the other, ‘Confidant’ by Vicki Plaster Baird. My song for the week is “Forever Yours” by Gateway Worship.


The Cross
In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.

I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agonies and blood;
He fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.

Sure never till my latest breath,
Shall I forget that look!
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.

A second look He gave, which said,
"I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou mayest live."

Thus while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too!
- John Newton

Confidant
There's but One to Whom I pour my heart
The Lord and Him alone
His eye sees every secret part
To Him each frailty known

I delight that God, my precious Friend
My Redeemer and my Guide
Has plucked me out from those condemned
That I may be His bride

Pure and spotless before my God
In Christ I am now seen
No blemish does He find in me
His blood has made me clean
- Vicki Plaster Baird

“Forever Yours” by Gateway Worship

The Power of Forgiveness (3)

The reality of God’s forgiveness completely transforms us. Not only does it bring us release from guilt and condemnation, it also fills our hearts with love and reverence for Him. This was the lesson in the parable He taught at the Pharisee’s house recorded for us in Luke 7:36-47. An appreciation of the extent, value and depth of God’s forgiveness fills our hearts with deep joy and draws us in adoration and worship to Him.

“But there is forgiveness with Thee, that thou mayest be feared.”

Psalm 130:4 KJV

Fear in the verse above is not a servile recoil from a terrifying being, but a filial reverence. It describes a reverential awe of the Most High and not a restricting fear that seeks to avoid His presence.

Forgiven to forgive

One other thing God’s forgiveness does is that it transfers upon us an obligation to forgive other people.

“And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ"

Ephesians 4:32 HCSB

“…accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.”

Colossians 3:13 HCSB

The verses quoted above mandate us to forgive others in exactly the way God forgave us in Christ. Let us therefore note a few points about the standard of forgiveness God expects us to extend to others:

-         Forgiveness is not denying that you have been hurt. Forgiveness is about recognizing the hurt but releasing the offender

-         Forgiveness is also not about repressing your anger or waiting for time to heal the wounds. Often people do not really forgive but keep repressing or suppressing their anger and then finally flare up when they have gone beyond their threshold. Waiting for time to heal the hurt too may just allow the emotional wounds to fester and set you into a mode of bitterness. Forgiveness is about resolving your anger by releasing the offense and the offender.

-         Forgiveness should not be based on your feelings. Forgiveness is a choice, an act of your volition in which you release your resentment and relinquish your right to get even or to get back at the offender. Relying on your emotions to decide when or whether to forgive is an obstacle that may then lead to unforgiveness.

-         People may never earn your forgiveness. In fact some people may never come back to apologize for what they did to you. God mandates you to forgive all the same. Sometimes people do not want to appear “weak” or they listen to negative advice from other people and so they don’t forgive. When we do so, we live below the standard God has called us to live by.

A Word on Unforgiveness

To end this series of posts on forgiveness, I believe it will be helpful to share a few thoughts on unforgiveness. (These should encourage you to walk in forgiveness more 😊)

-         Unforgiveness locks you in the past, keeps the hurts alive and keeps the wounds open. Forgiveness on the other hand sets you free from the past and allows the wounds to heal.

-         Unforgiveness produces bitterness that spreads and infects one’s life and being. People who live in unforgiveness become sarcastic, nasty, condemning and often lashing out at people. Forgiveness dispels the bitterness and people who walk in forgiveness are filled with love, joy, peace, gentleness and goodness.

-         Unforgiveness along with bitterness also causes bad health. Scientific research has shown that people who walk in forgiveness and live without bitterness have improvements in physical energy levels, mood, sleep quality, overall physical vitality, reduced heart rate and improvements in immune function. Top-rated Medical Centers now include advice on forgiveness in their tips to their clients on healthy living.

-         Unforgiveness gives Satan a foothold and an open door into our lives and relationships (see Ephesians 4:26, 27 and 2^nd Corinthians 2: 10, 11). Often believers keep binding and casting the devil in their prayers but then they open the door for him as they live in unforgiveness. Forgiveness evicts the devil from our relationships and shuts the door firmly in his face.

This week I pray for you that you will come to an increasing awareness of how God has freely forgiven you, that you will embrace His forgiveness and that by the help of His Spirit you will live your life extending grace to other people as you forgive them just as He forgave you. Amen.

My song of the week is "Covered" by PlanetShakers.

"Covered" by PlanetShakers

The Power of Forgiveness (2)

In the book “A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World”, Ron Lee Davis told the story of a priest in the Philippines who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He was a much-loved man of God who had repented but still had no sense of God’s forgiveness.

In his church was a woman who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and Christ with her. The priest however was skeptical. To test her he said, “The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask Him what sin your priest committed while he was in Bible College.” The woman agreed.

A few days later the priest asked, “Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?”

“Yes He did”, she replied.

“And did you ask Him what sin I committed in Bible College?”

“Yes”

“Well what did He say?”

“He said, ‘I don’t remember.’”

This story is an illustration of the reality that the New Testament in the blood of Jesus avails every believer:

“For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.”

Hebrews 8:12 HCSB 

“…I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts”

Hebrews 10:17 HCSB 

When we come to an understanding and appreciation of God’s forgiveness, it gives us boldness in the way we relate with God. It frees us from feelings of condemnation or guilt.

“Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus”

Romans 8:1 HCSB

I must make this very clear: God does not confront or remind His children of sins that they have repented of. It is the devil that constantly tries to accuse God’s people and makes them cower back in fear from abounding in God (Revelations 12:10 calls him the ‘accuser of the brethren’).  

Is the devil still playing this trick on you? Or have you put on yourself any burden of sins and you still wallow in guilt and condemnation? Then I ask you to allow the light of the truth of God’s word pierce through to free you from this shackle. God has forgiven you in Christ Jesus already.  

You see God did not just wish our sins away. Jesus actually paid the penalty for our sins. He gave His life as a sacrifice to make an atonement for us. The death of Christ, the blood He shed cleanses us from all sin (1^st John 1:7) and even now when we commit any sins, God’s forgiveness is still only available in the propitiatory work of Christ. 

“My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father-Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.”

1^st John 2:1 & 2 HCSB

There is no sin grave enough, no transgression or wrong doing too evil to defy the power of God’s forgiveness! Ephesians 1:7 says God’s forgiveness is in accordance with God’s grace. So what are the boundaries of God’s grace? What is the extent of God’s grace in Christ? If God’s grace is unlimited, then God’s forgiveness is exactly the same. You need to appropriate it by faith and learn to forgive yourself.  

Paul had a murderous past, the unnamed woman in John 8 had an adulterous past, and the dying thief beside Jesus on the cross had probably been a “career criminal” but each of them received an offer of God’s forgiveness. The same offer He extends to all of us.

I pray for you this week that you will experience the liberating power of the reality of God’s forgiveness; that you will experience release from guilt and condemnation; that you will experience boldness in approaching God and that your heart will be drawn in overwhelming love and reverence for Him as you open your heart to this awesome truth of God’s forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Amen.

My song for the week is "Forgiven" by Sanctus Real.

"Forgiven" by Sanctus Real