Letting go of the past 

 
2 Samuel 16:21

What an ugly stain on the royal family’s history ledger! When Amnon raped his half-sister, Tamar, their father David seemingly ignored the situation. He probably hoped, as many parents do, that f he didn’t talk about it, the problem would go away. Instead, it got worse. Tamar’s brother Absalom killed Amnon for vengeance and then fled. Two years after his return, his father still refused to see him! Finally, Absalom led a rebellion against David.

Hurt caused by family members, especially in our youth, has profound impact onus. How we respond to the pain has huge implications for our emotional and spiritual health.

God knows about our pain and wants to lead us to hope and to wholeness. We should first acknowledge to him and to a trusted friend what has happened and how it has affected us. If we still live in an abusive situation, immediate help may be necessary to protect ourselves. Whatever else must be done, we need to keep our hearts from hardening. The Lord wants to assist us in forgiving those who have hurt us. He knows we’ll be tempted to indulge in bitterness, vengeance or self-pity. But as we acknowledge our sinful reactions and receive his power to forgive, al new measure of Jesus’ life is released in us.

Identify past offenses that are presently affecting you. Ask God to help you “let go” of the pain and extend forgiveness to the offender.

MORE STUDY: Psalm 119:77-78; Matt. 18:21-35; Col. 3:13-14.

Daily Bible 

YWAM Comes to Hernhutt Pt. 3 
by Jeff Fountain, YWAM's Regional Leader for Central Europe

(Part 3)

Later in the eighteenth century, the Baptist shoemaker, William Carey, was inspired by Moravian mission stories to realize that the obligation to take the gospel to the unreached was for all generations, not merely for the original apostles. Brandishing Moravian mission reports, he challenged his fellow Baptists, thus catalyzing the worldwide modern missionary movement.

In more recent years, the Moravian story has inspired our own movement of YWAM-with the tradition of love feasts, the centrality of worship, servant leadership, community lifestyle, cell groups, the place of women and youth in God's purposes, intercession, unity with diversity, and vision for world missions. It is a powerfully inspiring story of a faithful minority who made such a disproportionate contribution to the spread of the kingdom.

I have a Moravian missions book on my shelf which refers to YWAM as "carrying on such a witness in missions here and there as would make one think one was back in the old days of the Moravian church. In fact, they acknowledge our history in missions as part of their inspiration."

Now a small German team has gone one step further. Desiring other young people to be inspired by the Moravian story, a team led by Jan Schlegel and his wife Ute moved to the township next to Herrnhut in July, where they plan to purchase a training facility. They will focus on the 10/40 Window.

They are praying, says Jan, "that Christians in Europe would reach out and grasp again the inheritance of Zinzendorf, so that soon we will be seeing a new wave of missionaries being sent out."

Their prayer is that Herrnhut may again be a town that shakes the world. For more info on YWAM Herrnhut or to join their staff, contact: www.ywam-sf.net or info@ywam-sf.net. This article is based on a Weekly Word from Jeff Fountain, director of YWAM Europe: subscribe-word@ywameurope.org

 
We don't discover our gifts and callings by searching, but by serving. --Loren Cunningham

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