THE CROSS CHRIST WANTS US TO CARRY IN PLACE OF THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH
St Matthew 9:13
"But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance"
When you smile at every persecution, smile at false accusations, when you continue to do good in the midst of strong temptations, when you are hated because of the good things you have done, yet you are not discouraged, you are carrying the Cross. If you give out your house for rent and because your tenant does not pay his rent you eject him you have not even lifted up the Cross. If thief comes into your house and you shout thief, thief without allowing him to achieve his objective you are not carrying the Cross. You may say that this is humanly impossible but I tell you that it is humanly possible.
This is the only way you can carry the Cross. When you allow him to steal what he wants, he will be at peace and you will also be at peace. By asking him to steal what he wants, you have set his mind thinking, much more, when you tell him that you are prepared to help him carry out your stolen goods. He may come to his senses. He may be ashamed of himself. He may even confess to you 'Why he decided to steal, he may become converted' because you did not wound his pride. When you stay with a Wicked person, allow him to complete his wickedness because if you stop him when he has not completed his evil intentions you are blocking his salvation. Do not say you are good, when you are not. This may make your Cross look burdensome.
What type of Cross are you carrying when you flare up at the slightest provocation?
You might be tempted to say this is nonsense right? You might also believe that capital punishment is necessary to enforce and ensure compliance to the rule of law, which will bring about real change in the behavior of a radical individual or people, and yes this is the same reaction that has kept the world in perpetual damnation, conflict, war, mutiny, starvation, division and marginalization. When you live by the sword, you will die by the sword. This has been the lot of the children of israel till this date. Galatians ( 6 : 1) "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted".
"Eye for an eye or a tooth for tath" is the law of sin and death, which can never lead man to a peaceful coexistence and eternal life, this is the reign of the Holy Spirit, in this dispensation of the Holy Spirit "LOVE IS THE NEW WORLD OTHER".
Did you not hear what Christ said on the Cross, He said " it is finished" meaning the old ways of doing things has ended, no more division, between the Jews and gentiles, whites and blacks, men and women, rich and poor, Muslims and Christians, for the whole world is now one. The task of making the whole world one was initiated by Christ, on the cross of Calvary. Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches you and I that we should not judge, don't you think the process of charging a person to court for stealing your property means "judging the person". This divine message can only be absorbed if you have the gift of the holy Spirit in you, humanly it's impossible.
A lot of people have cheated on you in the past, taken your money and property away but that did not make you to be weary, but you smiled and moved on with life, this is pleasing to God, and if you observe carefully, you have gained even more than you had before. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you will come to realize that it is more rewarding to let it go, moreover, these are material things, that will come back to you in multiple ways, if Christ had sent Judas away for all his bad behavior, Judas might not have gotten the opportunity to fulfill his destiny of betraying Jesus Christ, and because of that salvation has come to the entire world. This is the era of love, and you know love does not hate, it does no evil, love is not one sided, it is a mutual event.
The law of Moses been practiced by every institution, i.e. government institutions, such as the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, police and their various codes of conduct bureau, has never brought peace, truth, oneness, harmony, honesty, trust, sincerity among the people of the world, these things rather provoke infighting, division, conflict, war, segregation, and conflicts world over. And that is why the Bible refer it to be the law of sin and death. We all must learn to accommodate evil doers, in other to bring about real changes in the world. Take a look at warring nations, and you wonder how come none of them sees the need to cohabit with one another in a peaceful manner, without any form of hostility. Of course without the Holy Spirit peace cannot be established.
How many people have been successfully de-radicalized through capital punishment? Unfortunately you can't reform a criminal through capital punishment, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. The habit of telling lies, stealing, fornication, murder, are all evil spirits, no amount of punishment can change some one who is morally bankrupt, a chronic liar or fornicator except through the power of the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit enters you, you won't desires or have the need to fornicate or K*ll or hate a fellow man.
And the only way to receive this Holy Spirit is through the baptism of "water and the word"
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