Following Footprints

I went to a conference a couple of weeks ago, it was in Phoenix. It was the Promise Keepers Conference for pastors, what they call clergy. Max Lucado was there. You may have heard him or read some of his books. He’s a great man of God. He said this little phrase, it’s kind of stuck with me, "It’s not about me. It’s not about now." It’s not about me and it’s not about now, but God. I’m adding this now. It’s not about me, it’s about God. It’s not about now, it’s about eternity. And now we will experience injustice, but in eternity God will be the final say. Injustice isn’t a lot of fun. We cry out to be treated fairly, for people to think about us differently. But God says, "I’m the final judge." Do you believe that? You walk in the steps of Jesus.

Our calm acceptance of injustice has a purpose. That’s the really good news. The really good news when we get to the final section of this passage is that bearing injustice, putting up with the Neros of the world, putting up with unjust treatment has a purpose. And faith in that purpose is critical. First, Jesus in His life had faith in the sovereignty of God. He also had faith in the justice of God. And finally, He had faith in the redemptive purpose of God.

You see this all through this passage. We saw it here in the first verses when it says in verse 15, for example, "It is God’s will that by doing good we should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men." In other words, people can say all kinds of stuff about you, but when they come to actually look at your life, look at how you live, they will say, "You know, I may not like this guy or what he believes, but I have to admit that he’s different. He’s unique and there are times that I wish I had what he has. In fact, there’s something really peaceful about him. There is something really content that he can even take my abuse with a smile and a kind word." "Live as free men. Do not use your freedom to cover up for evil. Live as servants of God." Live a life that’s commendable before God so in the end something good will happen. A person will see that life and say, "There is something different that I’ve got to get to know."

Chuck Swindoll tells a story about a pastor in a church in London, many years ago back before the advent of the car. He got on the trolley one Monday morning to go back to his study downtown. When he paid his fair, the trolley driver gave him too much change. Well the pastor sat down and fumbled with the change and looked it over, counted it eight or nine times … and you know the rationalization, "Oh, it’s wonderful how the Lord provides! I can use this for lunch. This is what I needed to break even. A little extra money the Lord dropped on me this week." But he wrestled with himself all the way down that old trolley trail that led to his office. And finally, he came to the stop and he got up, couldn’t live with himself, walked up to the trolley driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change. You made a mistake." And the trolley driver said, "No I didn’t. No mistake. I was in your church last Sunday when you spoke on honesty and I thought I’d put you to the test." Was it fair for him to do that? I don’t know. But, he did it and that man responded with integrity. And, so brought a little light into that person’s life. And maybe when that person’s thinking they’ll say, "I know a man who was so honest that he gave me back this money. I think I’ll go and see what makes his life like that." People want to hear the music of our lives and then they want to know the lyrics. They want to know why. They’ve got to hear that music.