To the MURDERER,
the Potter Loves You
1 John 3:15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you
know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. (NIV)
Moses had been
chosen by God from birth to lead the Children of Israel to freedom. Although
Moses was born a Hebrew, he had been raised as an Egyptian by Pharaoh’s
daughter. Pharaoh had issued a decree that all the Hebrew boys were to be
killed in order to reduce the population of the Hebrews, which he felt was a
threat to his kingdom. After becoming aware of the danger that her infant son
was in, Moses’ mother placed him in a protected basket and sent him down the
river Nile. His older sister kept watch from the distance until Pharaoh’s daughter
took notice of the basket. Upon opening it, she saw the infant crying and could
not help but take pity on him. She named him Moses which means, drawn from the
water, and raised him as her own. She unknowingly allowed his real mother to be
his wet nurse. Exodus 2:8-9 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got
the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse
him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
(NIV) God kept a watchful eye over Moses, but little did Moses know
that he had a great destiny ahead.
One day as he was
walking where the Hebrews worked, he saw an Egyptian beating one of the slaves.
This angered Moses, and thinking that no one was around to tell, he killed the
Egyptian and buried him. His secret, however, did not remain such and had
possibly been told by the one he had saved. Pharaoh received word of what Moses
had done and tried to kill him. In fear for his life, Moses fled from Egypt and
stayed in a distant land until one day, God spoke to him from a burning bush to
give him the mission that he had been born to do. Exodus 3:10 “So now, go. I
am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
(NIV) Although Moses was a murderer, God is a Redeemer and had chosen
him to be one of the greatest leaders in Israel’s history.
Many people have
been sent to prison for taking someone’s life. Some of them are on death row
awaiting to have their sentence carried out after all their legal appeals have
been exhausted. Not all murderers, however, are behind bars or on death row.
Many murderers are still running free and have never been tried in a court of
law. You may ask, “How is that?” Some people have murdered others just with their
tongue. Isaiah 59:3 For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers
with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things.
(NIV) They may not have used a gun, knife, or some other weapon to
bring about a physical death, but many murderers have killed people’s
reputation, self-esteem, ambition, dreams, and determination just with that
little organ inside their mouth. They killed what was positive on the inside of
another human being because within themselves, they were the living dead.
God hates the act of
murder and this is why He included the commandment, “Thou shall not kill,” as
part of the ten. Deuteronomy 5:17 “You shall not murder.” (NIV) The Bible,
however, tells of another type of murder which is done with the tongue. It is
just as vicious as a knife possibly going into your back…at least emotionally. Have
you ever gossiped about someone with whom you didn’t know? Someone may have
given you the latest news concerning another individual that had nothing to do
with you. You may say, “I don’t gossip about anyone.” Well, if that is the
case, then that’s wonderful because that is the life that God desires for us to
live. However, many people are an accomplice to murder just by listening. The murderer would have a
hard time killing someone with his/her tongue by themselves if they didn’t have
an accomplice to share the crime with. That accomplice may have been YOU. Proverbs
17:4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a
destructive tongue. (NIV)
We all know the hurt that comes from the
murder of an innocent person. Yet, gossip has the same effect as well, but only
in a slightly different sense. It leaves that victim scarred for after the attack
has been done, it can never really be taken back. James 3:7-8 All kinds of
animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed
by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full
of deadly poison. (NIV) News travel, opinions are formed and the
reactions from others may last a lifetime even if the accusations are
unfounded. When you kill someone, you can never bring them back to life. It’s
the same way with malicious gossip. Once it has been released, it can never be
taken back. Therefore, people must be mindful with regards to the potential consequences
of what they do prior to it being done.
There is hope and forgiveness,
nevertheless, at the Potter’s House. If you have murdered someone in the natural
or even tarnished a person’s reputation due to malicious gossip, the Potter
forgives. The Potter sent His son, Jesus, to redeem the lost. There is no sin
that is too great for the Potter to forgive. Acts 3:19 Repent, then,
and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing
may come from the Lord…(NIV) Remember, the religious leaders and the
Roman soldiers murdered Jesus, but for all who would have asked for
forgiveness, it would had been granted. Therefore, if the Potter can forgive
those who murdered His son, He will definitely do the same thing for YOU. Murder
is indeed wrong, but the Potter’s House is open for business to restore once
again. Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous be shaken. (NIV)
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