Christian Living
Larry Lilly's Letter Friday January 20, 2006
As an older pastor, traveling speaker and famous author, (famous to mom) I am often called upon to give advice and in some cases referee fights among Saints. Mediating between Jews and Osama bin Laden would be a cake walk comparatively.
I have learned to ask a few questions prior to committing my time, which is precious, my expertise, most of which has been gained by severe scaring, and natural brilliance. The answer to one of my questions reveals much about the true motivation of those seeking help.
The question: Are you willing to act in a strict biblical manner if you lose? That our courts are filled with Christian against Christian is mute testimony to the fact that very few Christians are willing to abide by biblical instruction when it comes down to loss.
When it becomes obvious that the biblical course of action will not be adhered to, I bow out with advice from an old Chinese philosopher, for if men will not follow the scripture, you might as well share the wisdom of a heathen with them. Confucius said:
“When seeking revenge, be sure to dig two graves.”
Revenge, getting even for real or perceived wrongs is becoming the focus of too many Christians. The internet is loaded with supposedly funny forms of revenge such as Revenge Lady.com, please do not give this to the Great Blonde. All travelers to Mexico are more than familiar with the term, Montezuma's Revenge and from the internet I learned of Fecalgrams. The desire for revenge may be the natural mother of invention.
Society at large laughs and jokes about revenge, but the Bible takes a far different tack, teaching that revenge, or vengeance belongs to the Lord and when we usurp this prerogative of God, we are playing God and He will soon teach us that we are not equipped for this role. Keep in mind the holocaust was Hitler's revenge for real or imagined wrongs. He got his revenge at enormous cost to his enemy, but at what a horrible cost to his own people.
It would be well for every Christian contemplating revenge under any color of reason or law, to look again at the time worn story of Esther and Haman. What sensible people call the boomerang effect, in other words the harmful things we throw at others has a way of finding their way back to harm us, this used to be called The Haman Principle. Haman hated the Jews and built a gallows for them to be hanged. In the course of events he himself was hanged on the gallows of revenge.
Guarini said, "Revenge never healed a wound." I ask, do you want solutions or revenge? By the way you can't have lasting solutions and revenge. If you are too stupid to listen to the word of God, as least listen to the wise ones among other heathen.
Larry Lilly Copyright © 2006 Use with credit.
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