Peter Witkowski Discipleship

Divine Imagination: A Cure For Bitterness

bitternessWe can easily steal a moment at work to daydreaming about how we will tell off our boss one day. As we drift into sleep a few hours later, we imagine how we would get even with our aunt. And the next morning during our commute,  we scheme about how we will settle the score with our spouse. Bitterness, anger, and resentment readily feed the human imagination, pushing its owners further into the murky and foreboding cloud of sin.

When we allow our bitterness to proceed unchecked, we will inevitable awake one day to discover that the secret fleeting thoughts which promised only to take a minute or two of time have now devoured years if not whole lime times. And despite their promises of salvation, all those dreams of revenge fail to resolve the angst buried deep within out souls. We need another antidote for our bitterness. We need a divinely inspired imagination.

To escape the cancer of anger, we must place our trust in the power and goodness of God. In Samuel 26:9, David has the opportunity to go beyond dreaming. He has the chance the kill Saul, the man who has driven him from his home, his family, and even his house of worship. As Abishai tells David, “Let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” David can redeem his pound of flesh to borrow from Shakespeare’s Shylock. But the future king refuses to get even with Saul. David says, “The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed (1 Sam. 26:11a).”

David will not disobey God’s Word and exact his own vengeance upon Saul. David walks away from Saul because the future king trusts the Lord. The antidote for hateful day dreams of revenge is divine imagination.

David spares Saul’s life because he knows God reigns and will make all things right. David tell Abishai,

And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish (1 Sam 26:10).”

David imagines all the ways God could make things right. Instead of fearing his enemies, David trusts the God who rules over his enemies. David knows God cannot be thwarted by power dynamics, money, race, gender, or prestige. Even the cruelest men and women of the universe can only wake up each morning by the grace of God. David knows that the God of the universe watches over David. Instead of speculating about all the ways he could get revenge. David speculates about all the ways God can save him. As David told Saul, may the Lord “deliver me out of all my tribulation (1 Sam 26:24).

David trusted God knowing the Messiah was coming. Now that Jesus has come, New Testament believers have more reason to trust Jesus. Paul reminds us that Jesus “is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us (Eph 3:20b).” Friends since the power that raised Jesus from the dead brings transformation to our hearts and to our world, we should daydream about the goodness, power, mercy, justice, and love of God. We should imagine an unlimited all powerful God who delights in recusing his people. Our God is indeed that and more. Pastor Dale Ralph Davis helpful notes,

Faith needs imagination to pull out all the stops if it is even to begin to grasp the grandeur, majesty, and ability of Yahweh…imagination will not lead us beyond but will help us arrive at the truth of God.

Divine imagination guided by the Holy Spirit sustains the Christian as he or she walks through the storms of life.

What do your hearts dream about? Do we trust the God who rescued David? Or do we fear the bullies, the cruel spouses, and the troublesome coworkers? Do we find salvation in plotting revenge or in imagining how God could save us? What do you imagine?

Peter Witkowski Discipleship

True Faith = Love Your Enemies

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The scores of civilians who had been sneaking through dark now poured into the streets the Rome with glee as they celebrated the arrival of the British, American, and French troops. While the bells rang out and the colorful flags waved, one of the greatest defenders of the allied cause in Rome, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty sat on his knees praying, knowing the greatest test of his faith stood before him.

When the Nazi occupation began nine months early, O’Flaherty had helped raise the two million pound ransom that was supposed to secure his Jewish neighbor’s freedom. Then to O’Flaherty horror, the Nazi’s reneged on their promise and rounded up the Jews like animals. The Monsignor concluded, “the Nazis are no better than beast themselves, and the sooner they are defeated the better.”

For the next several months, O’Flaherty waged one of the most effective sleuth wars against the Nazis, saving thousands of Jews and POW’s. But the Nazi commander, Colonel Kappler, was not to be outdone. His ruthlessness and the cruelty of his Italian subordinate Pietro Koch matched O’Flaherty’s ingenuity. While the Monsignor managed to hide people by dressing them up as priests, nuns, and Swiss Guards, Kappler and Koch murdered hundreds of innocent men and women with bullets, flame throwers, and rocks. On several occasions, Kappler ordered his men to assassinate O’Flaherty, but O’Flaherty managed to stay a step ahead of the Nazis.

With the arrival of the allied armies in June 1944, the tables turned. The prisons that once held O’Flaherty’s friends, now held Kappler. Fearing that the allied sympathizers could murder his family, Koch pleaded with O’Flaherty to save his family.  The man who days earlier had to sneak in and out of the Vatican, now held power over Kappler and Koch. 

What should he do? How should he treat his enemies?

His answer to that question; and, our answer to that question reveals much about whether or not we love Jesus.

The normal reaction to such a question would be no; let the family die. David initially responded this way in 1 Samuel 24. David and his men were hiding form Saul. Then, Saul by divine providence wonders into the very cave where David and his men are hiding. Verse four reports, “And the Men of David said to him, “Here is the day which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold I will give your enemy into your hand, you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.” They encouraged David to kill Saul. David snuck up to Saul, but then something happened as David cuts off a tassel from Saul’s clothing. The text says, “David’s heart struck him.” He repented.

As he cut of the part of Saul’s clothing designed by God for, “you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after,” David remembered that what matters is not vengeance but obedience (Num. 15:38-39). Later in the passage David says, “May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you (12).” David recalled that he had no reason to fear Saul for God reigned. God’s plan directed David’s life. And faithfulness to God would be David’s surest means to finding life and happiness. The greatest hope and the most profound source of peace would be derived from going to God with a clean conscience. David knew he could only boldly claim God if he obeyed God. David refused the pleas of his men for he knew the sins of others did not validate his own sin. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  What mattered more to David than Saul’s ability to kill him was David’s relationship with God.

Though the unregenerate, natural man would happily destroy his enemy, the believer extends love. The follower of God confounded the wisdom of the world and loves his or her enemies. He saves those who would kill him. Jesus said,

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Christian loves those who persecute, abuse, and harm him or her. The Christian loves the wayward child who misses every holiday, sending them Christmas presents and attending their wedding. The Christian loves the neighbor who continually plays loud music, taking them to the ER when they are sick. The Christian forgives the student who mocks him or her everyday and offers to help him with his studies. The Christian who possesses real life-changing faith loves the Saul’s that torment his or her souls.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds us,

That is the test of a Christian; he cannot be explained apart form the Jesus Christ and thereby glorifies him.

Friend do you love your enemies so well that the stop and take notice of your savior. Can those who hate you say like Saul said of David, ““You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.”

So what was O’Flaherty answers? He reached out to the family of the torturer of Rome and offered to facilitate their escape. And then, he befriended Kappler, visiting the war criminal every month and advocating for his release.

He loved his enemies.

Does your faith defy explanation? Do you love your enemies? What is your answer?

Peter Witkowski Discipleship

Bad Thinking, The Lottery, and Why Christians Fail At Life

Lottery-blog.jpgNo one wakes up intending to ruin his or her life. People do not start affairs, embezzle money, or chug a bottle of vodka, hoping to destroy their marriages, their families, and their careers. Yet, Christians regularly invited disaster into their lives, seemingly torpedoing the very ship of joy they are sailing upon.

Why do they do this?  We do Christians self-destruct some days?

They stop meditating on the promises and character of the God.

In 1 Samuel 27:1, David fills his head with unsanctified thoughts. The man who had vanquished Goliath, who had lead God’s armies, and who had repeatedly escaped the murderous plans of Saul, believes God can no longer protect him. The Bible reports, “Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines.” David sets in motion of series of lies, murders, and rebellion because he doubted God. He concluded that Saul could not be stopped by God. He took matters into his own hands, lost his wives, and was almost stoned to death (1 Sam 30:5-6). David made a wreck of his life because he entertained thoughts of doubt about the character and power of God.

And what caused David to despair? What events informed his thinking?

David derived his thoughts from the circumstances surrounding his family. 1 Samuel 27:3 reports that David went to Philistia to protect the households of his men and his wives. David who cut off the heads of giants was conquered by a honey-do-list.

Christians often fall into grave sins because they allow normal, domesticated concerns to become the measure of their life’s success and joy. They fix college admissions programs to avoid the ridicule that comes with underperforming children. They engage in an affair because they feel like neglect by their spouse who seems to value work more than them. They become enraged when their kids leave a light on, threatening to reveal the believer’s inability to manage her money to the watching world. Concerns about education, entertainment, bills, chores, and bedtimes possess the ability to steal our eyes away from Jesus. Once we begin to look at earthly needs, we tend to forget that God is good, loving, and all powerful. We forget that God can care for kids even if they never graduate from college. We forget that God is our comfort and that God can change our spouse’s heart. We forget that God promises to provide for all our needs, loving us deeply. In short, we forget the goodness of our God; we fear that our fears about failure, loneliness, and bankruptcy will come true and so we run to the Philistines looking for help.

But as David before us, we do not find salvation. We find more fear. Where once we feared one bad letter, a few bad nights, and a bad bill, now we fear tens if not hundreds of people who can expose our lies, our evil deeds, and our lack of character. We scheme even harder to protect ourselves, teaching more lies, embracing more sin, and experiencing more corruption.

In 1997, Billy Bob Harrel believed he had found the answer to his greatest problem in the form of a little piece of paper. After being laid off from two jobs, Billy Bob found himself stocking shelves at Home Depot, working for a disagreeable boss. His wife also started back to work to makes ends meet. Billy Bob loved his wife and kids and happily attended church. But the lack of income loomed over his mind. Instead finding consolation in the promises of God, he dreamed about winning the lottery, telling all who would listen about his plans to save his family. Then on a hot, Texas summer day, his insurance policy came true. His lottery numbers were called. Billy Bob who had struggled to pay his bills now owned the rights to 31 million dollars.

At first, the money empowered Billy Bob. He helped his church; he bought multiple cars; and, he purchased homes for all of his close family members.

But the large bank account did not become the salvation Billy Bob envisioned. People badgered him and his immediate family for money, even stopping his wife in Walmart. He lost many friends. His blood pressure rose; his health declined; and, he became a regular at his local pharmacy. The girl that checked him out developed into his girlfriend. His wife left him; he entered into tangled agreements with loan sharks and found himself battling depression. His Philistia proved no better than David’s hope.

Two years after winning the lottery, Billy Bob said “It was the worse thing that ever happened to me.” A few days later, he took his own life, leaving behind a note for his wife and family that said, “I didn’t want this. I just wanted you.”

He arrived at death’s door because his thoughts had drifted. Instead of looking to God for help with his unspectacular troubles he dreamed of being a millionaire. He lost hold of his thoughts and found the ultimate destruction, death.

Readers should not fault Billy Bob for his mistakes. He possessed no special propensity for sin or evil. He had served as a pastor and appeared to walk faithfully with God before his life crumbled. As David before him, he let his thoughts wander and placed his hope in a false salvation.

If we our honest, we must admit that we too are “prone to wonder, Lord if feel it/ Prone to leave the God I love.” Friends, we must guard our hearts. We must guard our thoughts from unbiblical thinking that doubts God and elevates our powers. We must remember the teaching of Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

What are you thinking about?