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The Heart of the Matter

“When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there. . . Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” — Luke 23:33-34 NIV

Did you ever notice?

Amid the extreme chaos of the most pivotal day in human history — the Son of God betrayed, mocked, misrepresented, beaten, surrendered in appeasement, and now suffering an excruciating death — Jesus interceded to His Father on behalf of His tormentors: “Father, forgive them.” But did you ever notice that they never asked? His enemies never asked Jesus for forgiveness, yet He pleaded it on their behalf anyway. How opposite our natural tendency to release a grudge only at the fickle price of a suitable apology.

We could say, “Well, Jesus is God; mere mortals are not built that way.” True, we are not; our self-will demands we live life on our terms and not God’s. But let us witness another execution, the stoning of Stephen. His capital crime? Declaring Jesus to be standing at the right hand of God. Listen to Luke’s historic account of this believer’s last words. “As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ He fell to his knees, shouting, ‘Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!’ And with that, he died.”1 Had his self-appointed executioners asked for forgiveness? No. But Stephen forgave them anyway and he petitioned Jesus to do the same. Instead of appealing for justice, he cried out for mercy.

How do we reach such a point where harbored animosity ebbs and the tide of charity floods its place? Consider Luke’s description of Stephen — “a man full of God’s grace and power.”2 Therein lies the spiritual means for the naturally impossible: As we realize the depth of our sin and the divine price at which it is expunged, we grow in our embrace of God’s grace. This grace overflows its human reservoirs, pouring over in its many forms to others. When the scorned woman anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her tears, for instance, Jesus said to her antagonists, “She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful.”3 The grace of forgiveness liberates us this way.

Spend some time today considering and appreciating God’s undeserved, yet limitless favor toward you. In humility before Him, think also of those who need to experience your forgiveness, even if they haven’t asked for it. Then, in God’s grace and power, release them for good.

“Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” — Ephesians 4:32 NASB

Father, Your goodness and faithfulness toward me, a sinner, is humbling. Indwell me through Your Spirit of grace and power, that I would be a vessel of grace and forgiveness to others. In Christ I pray. Amen.

1 Acts 7:59-60 NLT, emphasis added
2 Acts 6:8 ESV, emphasis added
3 Luke 7:47 The Message

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The Grace of Relinquishing Control

At an athletic six feet, five inches and two hundred ninety pounds, my friend James played offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys back in the day, which is to say he understood imposing one’s will amid chaos. A recent stroke, complicated by Guillain-Barre syndrome, has changed all of this, however. “I used to try to control my world,” reflected my now older, wiser friend, “but what I learned is, we don’t control much.” So true, so true. Whether you want to control a situation but can’t, or you need someone else to exert authority and they won’t, ineffectuality is a dispiriting place to live.

I once found myself needing a reluctant colleague to take control of a situation that was his to manage. Perhaps you can recall this type of occurrence in your life. I found myself profoundly frustrated, even to the point of feeling nauseous and losing sleep. No matter how hard I tried to urge him along, and despite how much our team needed him to act, he remained idle. Sharing my burden, Peggy suggested three Bible verses that, though I had read them many times, now sprang to life under the circumstances.

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” I prayed this repeatedly, whether on a walk outside, pacing the kitchen floor, or lying sleeplessly in my bed. Dozens of times, scores of times, and ultimately hundreds of times. And indeed peace came at the realization it is God who faithfully provides it.

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When to my petition I added thanks — not as a formula or gimmick, but truly — my peace indeed rose to a level beyond my ability to comprehend. Though outward circumstances had not changed, amazement and joy now sprang up within me.

1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” This verse reminded me that neither fear nor blame are of God, but of the evil one. Mine was to relinquish in faith both my frustration with my colleague and my underestimation of God. And again came deep peace.

Herein lies the grace: realizing “we don’t control much,” we can entrust ourselves to Him who does and, in Him, have peace. Try it.

Father, You are sovereign over all things. You are good, and You guide us in Your goodness. Grace us to relinquish our attempts at control and to entrust ourselves to Yours. In Christ we pray. Amen.

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Blessed Are the Middle Borns?

My brother Eric is two years older than me, and my sister Lisa is five years younger. Where does this place me? Smack dab in the middle — this has been my birth order hangout for over 60 years. Middle-borns tend to be relatively less biased and more levelheaded; they tend also to be more easygoing. But perhaps the chief characteristic among my ilk is this: disliking conflict, we tend to mediate among others for win-win solutions and amiable relationships. Blessed are the middle borns (or at least their group-hug tendencies).

There is a downside to being an easygoing, levelheaded peacemaker, however: we are especially burdened by discord and contentiousness. How ironic that we who seek peace among others lose our own peace in the process. But it can happen, so what do we do? Here are a few thoughts that might prove helpful . . . 

Start in your heart. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all,”1 wrote Paul to believers in Rome. He likewise urged the Ephesian church to walk “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”2


Don’t quit. Strive for peace, even among those less inclined toward it. “Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding,”3 wrote Paul, and in Hebrews we read, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”4

Don’t try to do what only God can do. We are called to be vessels of peace and intercessors for peace, but true peace — both in and among us — is of God, not us. Paul encouraged the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”5 The apostle likewise pointed the Corinthians to our source of peace: “Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.6

Remember, obedience today yields fruit tomorrow. “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace”7

Keep going, peacemakers! The world needs you “sons of God.”8

Father, there is so much strife around us and within us, but Jesus himself is our peace.9 In the liberty of this truth and grace, send us forward as peacemakers, whatever that entails today. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 Romans 12:18 ESV
2 Ephesians 4:2-3 ESV
3 Romans 14:19 ESV
4 Hebrews 12:14 ESV
5 Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
6 2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV
7 James 3:18 ESV
8 Matthew 5:9 ESV
9 Ephesians 2:14 NIV