Trials and Persecution
John 8:1-11
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say? They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.
I thoroughly enjoy reading (mostly listening to audio books). One book that I read (listened to) a few years ago was called "Unbroken : A World War II story of Survival, Resilience & Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand. It is the biography of a Olympic Runner who joined the Army Air Corp during WWII. The man’s name is Louis Zamperini. Many claimed that he would be the first person to break the 4 minute mile, however, WWII happened and he answered our great country’s calling of service & sacrifice. During his time in the Pacific theater of war, he was aboard a B-24 plane that crashed into the Ocean & was eventually picked up by Japanese naval forces and sent to POW camp in Japan. While in POW camp, he was beaten, starved & tortured for over a year and a half, all the time begging God to save him. After the war ended, he was repatriated back to the USA & became a somewhat of a celebrity. He married & had children. However, due to his war experiences he became addicted to alcohol. This was his way of trying to manage and cope his Post Traumatic Stress. One night, his wife convinced him to go hear a new evangelist preach that was in town. Louis really did not want to hear anything about what God had to say since he felt God had abandoned him while he was suffering the torture in Japan. However, Louis relented to his wife and they attended the Revival. The Evangelist preaching that night was Billy Graham. Here is where I will pick up a part from the book "Unbroken : A World War II story of Survival, Resilience & Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand:
"Louis was suddenly wide awake. Describing Jesus rising from his knees after a night of prayer, Graham asked his listeners how long it had been since they’d prayed in earnest. Then he focused on Jesus bending down, his finger tracing words in the sand at the Pharisees’ feet, sending the men scattering in fear. "What did they see Jesus write?" Graham asked. Inside himself, Louis felt something twisting. "Darkness doesn’t hide the eyes of God," Graham said. "God takes down your life from the time you were born to the time you die. And when you stand before God on the great judgment day, you’re going to say, 'Lord I wasn’t such a bad fellow,' and they are going to pull down the screen and they are going to shoot the moving picture of your life from the cradle to the grave, and you are going to hear every thought that was going through your mind every minute of the day, every second of the minute, and you’re going to hear the words that you said. And your own words, and your own thoughts, and your own deeds, are going to condemn you as you stand before God on that day. And God is going to say, 'Depart from me.'"
So, I now ask you, when is the last time you prayed in earnest and prayed for those that have wronged you, your family or friends? What are you waiting for….we are not promised tomorrow. What will be your excuse when you stand before the Lord and he shows you the moving picture of YOUR LIFE with every thought that was going through your mind every minute of the day, every second of the minute? Will your own words and thoughts condemn you? Remember, God’s forgiveness is everlasting, all we have to do is ask for it! So I now challenge you to pray for those that persecute you or those that have wronged you.
I hope you have a blessed day!
Will Ross
P.S. I encourage you to read the book "Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience & Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand to see how Louis Zamperini overcame all of his obstacles with the help of our Lord.
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say? They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.
I thoroughly enjoy reading (mostly listening to audio books). One book that I read (listened to) a few years ago was called "Unbroken : A World War II story of Survival, Resilience & Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand. It is the biography of a Olympic Runner who joined the Army Air Corp during WWII. The man’s name is Louis Zamperini. Many claimed that he would be the first person to break the 4 minute mile, however, WWII happened and he answered our great country’s calling of service & sacrifice. During his time in the Pacific theater of war, he was aboard a B-24 plane that crashed into the Ocean & was eventually picked up by Japanese naval forces and sent to POW camp in Japan. While in POW camp, he was beaten, starved & tortured for over a year and a half, all the time begging God to save him. After the war ended, he was repatriated back to the USA & became a somewhat of a celebrity. He married & had children. However, due to his war experiences he became addicted to alcohol. This was his way of trying to manage and cope his Post Traumatic Stress. One night, his wife convinced him to go hear a new evangelist preach that was in town. Louis really did not want to hear anything about what God had to say since he felt God had abandoned him while he was suffering the torture in Japan. However, Louis relented to his wife and they attended the Revival. The Evangelist preaching that night was Billy Graham. Here is where I will pick up a part from the book "Unbroken : A World War II story of Survival, Resilience & Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand:
"Louis was suddenly wide awake. Describing Jesus rising from his knees after a night of prayer, Graham asked his listeners how long it had been since they’d prayed in earnest. Then he focused on Jesus bending down, his finger tracing words in the sand at the Pharisees’ feet, sending the men scattering in fear. "What did they see Jesus write?" Graham asked. Inside himself, Louis felt something twisting. "Darkness doesn’t hide the eyes of God," Graham said. "God takes down your life from the time you were born to the time you die. And when you stand before God on the great judgment day, you’re going to say, 'Lord I wasn’t such a bad fellow,' and they are going to pull down the screen and they are going to shoot the moving picture of your life from the cradle to the grave, and you are going to hear every thought that was going through your mind every minute of the day, every second of the minute, and you’re going to hear the words that you said. And your own words, and your own thoughts, and your own deeds, are going to condemn you as you stand before God on that day. And God is going to say, 'Depart from me.'"
So, I now ask you, when is the last time you prayed in earnest and prayed for those that have wronged you, your family or friends? What are you waiting for….we are not promised tomorrow. What will be your excuse when you stand before the Lord and he shows you the moving picture of YOUR LIFE with every thought that was going through your mind every minute of the day, every second of the minute? Will your own words and thoughts condemn you? Remember, God’s forgiveness is everlasting, all we have to do is ask for it! So I now challenge you to pray for those that persecute you or those that have wronged you.
I hope you have a blessed day!
Will Ross
P.S. I encourage you to read the book "Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience & Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand to see how Louis Zamperini overcame all of his obstacles with the help of our Lord.
Posted in Suffering