"We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times
with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!"
(Rom 8:17b, MSG)
Let's be honest: Do we prefer bad times or good times?
Imagine if we had good times all the time. Would we continue to depend on Jesus?
Or would we be tempted to wander away from Him? Truly it's during the hard times
that we experience Him in the most intimate ways. Let me give you an
illustration:
Let's travel to a faraway country in South America, to Colombia, where we will
meet Didier. When Didier was 11 years old, he was forced to be a witness as his
mother was shot by 38 bullets. Quite naturally, he was in shock. He needed to
forget what he had seen, and he began drinking heavily and doing drugs.
He decided that the answer was vengeance. In order to accomplish this, he began
collecting all kinds of guns. He even added a couple of grenades to the mix.
Every night found him in desperate tears, crying for his mother, and it's during
those times that he would plan his retaliation. His courage was lacking,
however, and he never acted on his plans.
Then one day, a friend who was a Christian, introduced Him to Jesus. It's then
that he realized that hatred was consuming his soul, that he had been walking on
the dark side. Through the merits of Jesus, he was able to forgive the one who
had murdered his mother.
One day, out on the streets, he actually met the man he thought to be his
mother's murderer. Sitting on the curb, he asked him why he had done this
horrible crime. The "killer" started to sob heavily, confirming for Didier that
he was, indeed, the murderer. Dedier assured him that he was forgiven, but he
was astonished to learn the truth: the man was not the killer after all. Rather,
it was the man's brother.
Didier would then learn that the real murderer was in a lot of trouble, and he
found himself with a cause. He wanted to find him to tell him that he had been
forgiven. He wanted to help this criminal. Unfortunately, he had no idea where
he was.
Bring unable to locate the man, Dedier began reaching out to help others who
were facing trouble. He understood that if he was able to forgive, then others
could do so as well. All these people filled with hatred could find real
freedom.
During his hard times, Dedier found the One who made a difference in his life.
He, too, would concur that, "We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If
we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through
the good times with him!" (Rom 8:17b, MSG)
He understood that: "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in
times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have
never forsaken those who seek you." (Ps 9:9-10, NIV2)
Are we willing to forgive and find real freedom?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.