Luke 6:35-36
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
~Jesus
Pondering Point
Our story this week is the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 7.
Outside of Jesus dying for the sins of the world, his story is one that gets to the heart of this facet of God's mission: Love your enemies and do good to them. While being killed, he prayed that God would not hold this sin against his enemies. And God did not.
A prime example is that of a young Pharisee overseeing Stephen’s death, at whose feet those doing the stoning laid their clothes. That young Pharisee would later become Apostle Paul, one of the greatest evangelists in history. Paul, who later would identify himself as “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15), knew what it was like to not have his sin held against him.
In gratitude he lived a life for this Jesus whom he originally persecuted. It is amazing what God can do through heartfelt testimony of people, particularly in dire circumstances.
Prayer Prompt
Lord Jesus, give me a heart of mercy like You have and like You instilled in Your follower Stephen. I pray that I may be also full of the Spirit and wisdom as he was – and that you can use me and my heart of forgiveness. Amen.
Follow up:
- Who do you need to release or forgive in your life?
- What sins do you need to let go of?
Ask God for help in doing so.
Micro-Meditation
Psalm 51:3-6
- For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me. - Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge. - Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time
my mother conceived me. - Yet you desired faithfulness
even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom
in that secret place.
Teaching or Command of God:
Romans 3:19
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Pondering Point
Sit before God in silence for a moment. Accept the principle that, as a sinner, you are by definition poor in spirit. Next, thank God for Jesus, whose death for your sin enables you to be blessed and inherit the kingdom of heaven.