A big story this week in the news is the presumed death of the Russian mercenary warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin of the Wagner group and his deputy Dmitry Utkin. The Wagner group is a mercenary group of soldiers and convicts who were fighting in Ukraine on the side of the Russians. They have been instrumental on some of the key Russian victories in that theather of war and have also been very important in the Russian government's efforts to increase their influence on the African continent. The Wagner group which is mixture of military and business ventures is very important to Russian president Vladimir Putin .
The Russian president Vladimir Putin and the leader of the Wagner group Prigozhin had been very closed since the early 1990s. But they had a fallen out. On June 23, 2023, the Wagner Group staged a rebellion after a period of increased tension between the Russian Ministry of defence and Prigozhin. Putin called it " a stab in the back." He called the Wagner leadership traitors etc.. A deal was brokered between Putin and the Wagner group and the Wagner group abandoned their "march on Moscow." It seems like Putin had forgiven Prigozhin and both were working on reconciliation, but experts cautioned that Putin was not one who forgives those who wronged him.
Putin, according to many Russia political experts is a vindictive man. Putin said that the one thing he can't forgive is treachery and he had accused Prigozhin of treason. The question on many mind was "when and not if" will Putin "cut off" Prigozhin. And that answer to many came this past Wednesday when a plane that was carrying Prigozhin and other top Wagner leaders crashed in Russia, with many pointing the finger at Putin. Many believed that Putin has finally "cut off" his former friend like many expected. Many who crossed Putin in Russia end up cut off in some way. Thrown off windows, poisoned, arrested etc..Putin doesn't believe in forgiveness and reconciliation.
Putin is a godless man, and so his behavior is predictable. Of course the ungodly doesn't believe in forgiveness and reconciliation. The ungodly falsely believes that forgiveness and reconciliation make a person weak. And so many Christians in the church are no different than Vladimir Putin. They believe in cutting off from their lives anyone who wrong them. When we cut people of our lives for silly things we are doing no different than Vladimir Putin in essence. Cutting someone off is equivalent to killing the relationship. Matter of fact God use the word " cut off" in the Bible to imply the death of a person who persisted in gross transgressions against Him. But we all know God is merciful .
God is merciful and we are not. Many Christians are quick to cut off each other for the silliest things. We had a misunderstanding, so I cut you off. We had an argument, I cut you off. You plot against me, I cut you off. You said something wrong about me, I cut you off. We see certain doctrines differently, I cut you off. The silliest things lead the break up of many Christian relationships, ministries and churches. Yet, they all claim to be loving, we all claim to be following God. While we go around cutting off those who wronged us like Vladimir Putin cut off permanently his political enemies. At least Vladimir Putin's enemies can threaten his life.
We cut off our enemies because they " threaten our mental health." How pitiful we have become as Christians? 😔. I praise the Lord that many of us Christians don't have Vladimir Putin's power. Can you imagine how many people we would kill if we had his power ? Remember "cutting off people for silly things" is in principle no different than what tyrants do. But I am here to tell you today God has not called us to the ministry of cutting off people, but the ministry of reconciliation. God wants to reveal His love to the human race through us. What did God do when we sinned against Him? Did He cut is off ? No ! He sent His Son to reconcile us to Himself .
"Before you bring your gift 🎁 to the altar and there remember that your brother and sister has something against you, leave your gift in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:23,24. Jesus is basically saying here if I have issues with someone and I don't try to reconcile with them, God will not even hear my prayers 😱. And so we have many little Vladimir Putin in the Christian church, going around cutting off people who slight them and yet think that they are going to heaven. For your information, Vladimir Putin claims to be an orthodox christian. Vladimir claims to be a follower of Christ and yet his behavior shows different.
The true Christian is insane to the world. The true Christian will do all in his power to make peace with those who wronged him. The Bible say talk to your brother, then bring someone else, then bring the church and then treat him like a publican, meaning don't bother him of he doesn't want to reconcile but keep praying for Him so that the Lord may change his heart. Such a Christian will appear weak, a doormat to the world, insane to the world. But such a Christian is exactly what Christ is looking for. A Christian who loves his enemies and die to self in other to reconcile with others is one in which the character of Jesus is being displayed. Such a character will cause the world to marvel .
Friends, we are all imperfect people, mistakes will happen in our relationships with one another, we may wrong one another, but let us not be vindictive and cut off others when they wrong us. Let us be like Jesus and seek to reconcile with those who wronged us. If they don't want to reconcile, don't bother them ,but keep praying for them that the Lord will give them a soft heart so they will not continue to be unloving in the future. But as for you, engage in the ministry of reconciliation, make peace with all men as much as possible. Pray for strength to forgive, to love and to reconcile. Many a relationships would be fixed if we would just put pride aside and seek reconciliation.
Lord help me to be like you, help me to seek to reconcile with any i may have wronged or who have wronged me as much as possible. Help me to reveal your character of love in how I treat others who have problems with me. Friends, if you have any problems with anyone today or anyone have problems with you, do not let the sun go down today until you have sought reconciliation with them. Remember if you don't seek reconciliation with others, then your offering to God is meaningless. Don't force them to reconcile if they don't want to, just like God will not force us to reconcile with Him if we don't want to,but seek reconciliation. You may look insane to the world, but to Jesus you are a mighty one, a son/daughter of God.
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