Two Misconceptions Of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not a one-moment decision and then it's done with. Forgiveness is a continued state or attitude. However, when someone is hurt, we, out of respect, need to give that person time to heal, work through and personally express negative feelings. On the other hand, if we are hurt, we must never use this as an excuse to be rude or disrespectful to other people — including the transgressor — as we recover. Being hurt does not justify hurting others.

Forgiveness does not automatically include reconciliation, especially when the transgressor refuses to acknowledge any wrong committed, or when he/she claims it was all just a misinterpretation of what happened. We can forgive and yet decide not to resume a relationship with the person or people who've hurt us.

As Jesus hung on the Cross in pain and torment, He said to all the Pharisees and Sadducees whom He so blatantly confronted on their hypocrisies:

"Father, forgive them,

 for they do not know what they are doing."

Luke 23:24 (NIV)

Jesus did not change his stance on sin and there was no reconciliation between Him and the Pharisees and Sadducees, but there was forgiveness.

A Soldier Of God

When my twenty-one year old son decided to stand up against churchly sin and hypocrisy, as a protective mother, I had a talk with him first. I asked him, "Do you realize what you are up against?

He said, "Yes."

Because of his inexperience, I doubted his answer, so I told him, "I feel strongly that you are going to open a can of worms and end up facing a giant greater than you imagine. Are you strong enough to handle this?"

His response was, "Yes, Mom, I am."

Uncertain, I asked once again, "Are you sure?"

"Yes Mom, don't worry, I can do this," he said as he tried to reassure me.

I wasn't reassured. I was worried sick for him. I knew what lay ahead. However, at the same time, I was proud of his strength and morality of character.

As time went on and the situation got worse, Matthew kept strong, even though he was left wounded, humiliated, and his reputation tattered.

However, near the end he turned to me and spoke honestly, "Mom, I would have gone insane if it wasn't for the support I received from my family."

At that moment, I went quietly into my room, closed the door, and cried. It had been much harder on him than he anticipated, but at the same time, he was much stronger than I expected.

Did Matthew accomplish anything in the earthly realm? Probably not, but he did accomplish much in the heavenly realm.

"God blesses you when people mock you

and persecute you

and lie about you

and say all sorts of evil things against you

because you are my followers."

Matthew 5:11 (NLT)

A Man Of Lowly Spirit Gains Honour

At the Alberta Aviation Museum, my son Matthew excitedly tapped me on the shoulders and told me that his favourite airplane was there. I asked him which one. He pointed to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain.

As I took a closer inspection of the aircraft, I was surprised I didn't see any guns, cannons, or bomb doors. So I turned to Matthew with a puzzled look. This was when he informed my ignorant mind that it was a transport plane, used to carried troops and ammunition. Now my puzzled look turned into an "are you serious?" look as I thought this can't possibly be his favourite aircraft. Matthew returned the expression with a "you're hopeless" look.

Later I asked Matthew why it was his favourite aircraft and he explained it to me.

A Douglas C-47 Skytrain is a military transport aircraft used extensively in World War II by the Allies.

The C-47 was a vital aircraft as it dropped paratroops into enemy territory, transported troops, hauled cargo and supplies, and evacuated the wounded.

This transport plane could carry up to 5000 pounds of weight.

The rear-fuselage cargo doors could even accomodate jeeps and light trucks.

Sometimes, we foolishly look at outward design: we awe at people with titles of reverence, years of post-secondary education, experience, talent, fame, and positions of power. But many times, when we get to really know some of these people, they are not our favourite. They are selfish, arrogant, insensitive, controlling, demeaning, and manipulative. Instead, our favourite people are the ones who have a humble spirit and a servant-like attitude. They may not be showy or impressive-looking, but they are vital for the goodness of mankind to spread. It is a lowly spirit that gains a person honour, and a person's pride that brings him/her low.

"A man's pride brings him low,

but a man of lowly spirit gains honour."

Proverbs 29:23 (NIV)

God's Word Is Like A Mighty Hammer

At the Alberta Aviation Museum, there was a North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber in the process of being restored. My son Daniel and I were allowed in the restoration building, so I took some pictures of this war aircraft. (Click on any picture for a closer inspection.)

The B-25 Mitchell is widely considered the best light bomber of World War II.

More than 11 000 B-25 Mitchells were built. They were used by almost all the Allied air forces.

The most famous B-25 mission occurred in April 1942, when sixteen of these aircraft took off from the American carrier Hornet and successfully bombed Tokyo.

As I was taking these pictures, a middle-aged man approached me and asked if he could answer any questions I might have. I couldn't think of any intellectual questions to ask, so I felt instantly stupid and embarrassed. I should have came to the museum with more knowledge of war aircraft!

Then I thought how much more important it is for us to know and memorize God's Word, so that when someone approaches us unexpectedly and asks a question about the things of God, we are prepared to answer. If we are not prepared, a chance for a soul to be saved might be lost.

Armies, air forces, navies all train soldiers to fight powerfully. But the majority of churches today are not training people to know God's Word through memorization of Scripture, only through generalization. As a result, the body of Christian believers has become a pathetic and weak army for God, and many souls are left dying as the enemy devours them.

The military uses worldly weapons to attack and defend, but we use God's weapons to attack Satan's lies and defend the Truth.

"We use God's mighty weapons,

not worldly weapons,

to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning

and to destroy false arguments."

2 Corinthians 10:14 (NLT)

And the greatest weapon we have is the Word of God. It burns like fire and smashes like a mighty hammer.

"'Does not My Word burn like fire?'

says the Lord.

'Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?'"

Jeremiah 23:29 (NLT)

It also sharpens and cuts like a two-edged sword.

"For the Word of God is alive and powerful.

It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,

cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.

It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."

Hebrew 4:12 (NLT)

Let us not neglect the importance of memorizing the Scriptures if we want to be efficiently trained to do battle for God and save lives.

God Keeps His Distance From The Proud

My father served in the Canadian Air Force for five years as an airframe mechanic. His wanted to be a pilot, but he failed the physical examination because he was colour-blind. The two types of aircraft my father worked on were the Mosquito and Lancaster Bombers. The Alberta Aviation Museum had one of these types of planes on display, a Mosquito Bomber. Here are some pictures:

The Mosquito Bomber is a British two-man crew aircraft with multiple roles; it was used as both a bomber and a fighter.

For its first few years of operation, it was the fastest aircraft in the world. It has four machine guns and four cannons, and can carry up to 2000 pounds of bombs or eight unguided rockets.

During my tour of the museum, I thought much about my father. I remember the day I had a test in school to see if I was colour-blind. I was about twelve years old. I thought the test was interesting because, until that time, I didn't even know that a person could be colour-blind. When I came home, I told my mother all about the test. This is when she told me that my father was colour-blind. With my young, underdeveloped mind, I thought, "Wow, that's cool! I can't wait to tell my friends."

I ran downstairs to my father where he was working and asked him excitedly, "Is it true? Are you colour-blind?"

My father turned to me with that angry look I saw so often and started punching me as hard as he could. When I was able to get away, I ran upstairs to my room and cried. The physical pain at first was unbearable, but when the pain subsided, the emotional pain was worse. Aren't fathers supposed to protect their little girls, not hurt them? I was scared to death of my father. I never felt safe at home. The only place I ever felt safe was church.

Unfortunately, it seems that churches are becoming less and less the sort of place where a person can feel safe. In fact, until last Sunday, I have not felt safe in a church for years.

Last Sunday, when I went to church with my family, I felt the same safeness I used to feel. The pastor of the church saw that we were new and immediately came over to us, introducing himself by his first name. When he spoke his message, he spoke on the same level as us, not on the podium. He didn't have charisma. He actually spoke mono-tone. But he spoke the Word of God and had Christ in his heart. The message, entitled "Eating God's Word," was profound: some people eat quickly, some distaste it, some savour each bite, and some nibble at it.

At the end of the message, the pastor took a passage of Scripture and taught a practical lesson on how to read God's Word, using four steps. Afterwards, he encouraged everyone to feel free to approach him at any time with any questions, concerns, or disagreements, and he would be pleased to discuss them. I thought I was dreaming.

As we were leaving, one of my sons turned to me afterwards and said, "He forgot to take an offering."

My husband responded, "No, there's an offering box in the foyer."

I thought, "Wow! Now that's faith!"

As we left, the pastor again shook our hands and personally invited my sons to his house Thursday for a potluck dinner, along with the twenty-six other young adults in the church. I thought, "This is what church is supposed to be like."

It saddens me to think that so many churches today have lost their way and are far from being Christ-like. Many pastors have become so spiritually proud that God keeps His distance.

"Though the Lord is great,

He cares for the humble,

but He keeps His distance from the proud."
Psalm 138:6 (NLT)

In My Heart I Have Hidden Your Word

On Saturday, when my family and I visited the Alberta Aviation Museum, there was on display a row of old war vehicles, including several World War II Willys. When I stopped at the first of the Willys, my mind travelled back in time; in Bible college, I used to know someone who owned a Willys that he and his father restored. As I was remembering, the owner of the jeep approached me and asked if I would like to sit in it. I really didn't know how to respond, and I didn't want to seem rude, so I said, "Sure." I searched for my husband to give him my camera and purse to hold, and he took this picture.

Here are some other pictures of the various military vehicles:

War is caused by sin — specifically greed and the power to control. Many wars start for religious reasons, even though God plainly states, "Thou shalt not kill." As a result, war sometimes becomes necessary to protect the innocent.

The key to not sinning against God is to hide His Word in our hearts. Many religious people in the world have a head knowledge of God's Word, but since His Word is not hidden in their hearts, they stray away from God's commandments and do evil in the sight of God.

"I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from Your commands.

I have hidden Your Word in my heart

that I might not sin against You."

Psalm 119:10-11 (NIV)

Let us seek God with all our hearts, and not just our minds. Let us hide His Word deeply in our hearts so that we will not sin against Him.

God Trains Hands For War And Fingers For Battle

Yesterday, for the first time, Brian, I, and our four sons went to the Alberta Aviation Museum where there were 50 historic airplanes on display. The one that interested us the most was a B-17, which, for just this week, was on exhibit and available for the public to tour. Here are some pictures of this memorable warplane.

War, no matter how much people hate it, has always been a part of human history, is present now, and will continue to occur until Jesus sets up His Kingdom here on earth.

"A time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:8 (NIV)

God also hates war, but He is with those who go to battle for righteousness' sake, training their hands for war and fingers for battle.

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,

who trains my hands for war,

my fingers for battle."

Psalm 144:1 (NIV)

We have war because evil exists through the powers of Satan. But there will come a time when there will be no more fighting, no more wars, and no more death, because one day God is going to throw Satan into the lake of fires where he will no longer be free to roam. At that time, peace will exist for eternity for all those who are in God's army and belong to His Kingdom.

"And the devil, who deceived them,

was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,

where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.

They will be tormented day and night

for ever and ever."

Revelations 20:10 (NIV)