Devotionals

Making Peace with the Past

By novia collis · January 21, 2019 · 6 min read

While tidying my personal library at home, I found a photo from when I was baptized more than ten years ago. Several brothers were beside me in that photo. Reflecting on that moment, I am grateful to have made the right decision, namely to become a disciple of Jesus. However, I was also saddened because I remembered an incident in the past. I was not wise in my words, and this caused my relationship with a friend to be broken off.

No matter how bad our past may be, God wants us to learn from it so that in the future we will not suffer similar loss or sorrow, or even greater ones. For that reason, let us look at how these two Bible figures, Jacob and Paul, were able to make peace with the past.

Jacob: Making Peace with Esau, Who Held a Grudge Because He Had Been Deceived

“When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, but Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” – Genesis 25:27-28

From the verse above, we know that Esau and Jacob had very different lifestyles, so each became the favorite of either the father or the mother. Long story short, this became one of the reasons Jacob deceived Isaac so that he would bless him as the firstborn son (Genesis 27:1-40).

Why did God seem to allow Jacob to deceive Isaac and still bring down His blessing? Because, God valued Jacob’s attitude in esteeming the birthright, the opposite of Esau, who treated it lightly (Genesis 25:31-34).

However, Jacob did not escape punishment for the sin of deceiving their father. Later Jacob was deceived by Laban when he wanted Rachel (Genesis 29:15-21). He was also deceived by his ten sons, who said that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (Genesis 37:31-34).

So, after receiving the birthright and the blessing of God, did Jacob live an easy life? No. Esau, who felt wronged because he had been deceived twice (Genesis 27:36), wanted revenge and waited for “the right time” to kill him.

Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him, and he said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father will soon be here; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” – Genesis 27:41

So Jacob fled to Mesopotamia, where he worked hard for twenty years to gain wives, children, and possessions. However, God wanted Jacob to settle his past with Esau. That is why God told Jacob to return to the land of his relatives (Genesis 31:13). In the end, though he was afraid and had to arrange a strategy first (Genesis 32:7-21), Jacob was willing to meet Esau. And what happened? But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept together. – Genesis 33:4

Esau no longer held a grudge and was willing to make peace with Jacob because his heart had changed. The same was true of Jacob’s heart. He was no longer a deceiver who justified any means, but a man who worked honestly to receive the blessing of God. Their relationship was restored because both of them were willing to go through a process toward something better.

From Jacob, we learn that the past indeed cannot be changed, but we can use the present to become better people. Perhaps in the past we liked to deceive; now we live honestly. Perhaps in the past we were quick-tempered; now we are patient. We can certainly change, as long as we are willing to submit to God and do His word.

Paul: A Persecutor of the Church Who Repented and Became an Apostle

Diligent in teaching and establishing churches in many places, often suffering persecution, and full of zeal in preaching the gospel, that is the impression we get from Paul. He was also an exceptionally productive writer among the apostles. His letters to churches and to several disciples, such as Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, became part of the Bible we read. Until death, Paul remained faithful in guarding his faith.

However, we may be shocked when we read about Paul’s past before he encountered Jesus and repented.

When Stephen was killed, Paul (whose name at that time was Saul) was there (Acts 7:54-8:1a). Paul watched over the cloaks of the witnesses who stoned Stephen and agreed that he should be put to death. By watching and agreeing, Paul also took part in persecuting the church.

Acts 8:1b-3 records that after Stephen’s death, severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. Paul was one of those responsible. He went from house to house to arrest and imprison the followers of Christ. Still not satisfied, Paul also intended to destroy the church in Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).

On his way to Damascus, Paul met Jesus and became blind for three days. After the Lord restored his sight through Ananias, Paul decided to become a disciple of Jesus. He steadfastly proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of God, joined the other disciples, and traveled to various cities to preach the gospel.

“Though formerly I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.” – 1 Timothy 1:13 Paul was not ashamed to acknowledge his past, and he chose to use the present, the new opportunity he had received, to serve the Lord. From Paul, we learn that no matter how terrible our deeds in the past may have been, God is pleased to forgive and willing to use us to do His work. Let us not keep living in regret, but rather rise up, be willing to make various positive efforts that are pleasing to God and become a blessing to the people we meet.

So, to make peace with the past, try doing these two things. Realize that we are able to change by obeying God and doing His word, and remember that God is Most Forgiving, so let us leave regret behind and rise up to strive to be a blessing to others.

* Church GKDI is currently present in 35 cities. We have Bible Study activities in every area; if you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official: WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official