Love keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV
I think it has already long been established that I am “just not right in the head”. But just in case you need more proof—There we were discussing our Bible study questions when suddenly, I began to hear in my head The King of Calypso, Harry Belafonte, singing the Banana Boat Song!
Stack banana till de morning come
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
I was right smack in the middle of another Burning Bush Sighting in which God was speaking to me about forgiveness. (For new readers, Burning Bush Sightings are experiences when you know God is undoubtedly speaking to you. It is when He gets your attention by repeating Himself through His Word, circumstances or conversations.)
I had ended the year, 2013, hearing a great sermon about laying aside the hindrances of Worry, Wounds and Wrongs by Praying, Forgiving and Confessing. (See Hindrances Aside)
The following week I worked on Step Four of Freeway, A Not so Perfect Guide to Freedom which also happened to be on Forgiveness! (Great Study by People Of The Second Chance! Check it out HERE.) While going through the homework I couldn’t think of anyone I needed to forgive–just too spiritual I guess. 🙂
However, on the next Monday, I met with my friend Kelly to discuss the homework from the Bible Study. I was just telling her how I was doing pretty good in that department and had not written down any names of people I needed to forgive. Just then some people started coming to mind. People from my past. Along with their face came a mental list of every time they had let me down. It was uncanny how I could go from not needing to forgive anyone to having such a comprehensive tally. Cue: Harry Belafonte! Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana!
www.merriam-webster.com defines tallyman as one who: tallies, checks, or keeps an account or record.
I was a tallyman! I have never thought of myself as an unforgiving person. I have tried to live my life according to 1 Peter 2:21-23. I don’t lie awake at night plotting revenge or even thinking about those who have wounded me. But there lurking was a list and I was amazed at how quickly I could bring it up. I mean I darn near had an Excel spread sheet going on inside my brain!
The day after the Bible study, my Bible reading from COME DRINK LIVE 365 was Matthew 6:14-15 and George Wood’s tweet was on forgiveness. By that time, God had my attention.
Wanting to be free from any hindrances in 2014, I prayed and I was directed to the featured verse, 1 Corinthians 13: 5, It (Love) keeps no record of wrongs. I discovered the Greek word for “record” in this verse is the verb, logizomai (log-id’-zom-ahee) which means to reckon, count, compute, calculate,–tally.
Ironically, I had been praying that in 2014 God would use me to bring Reconciliation in some situations, so when I also discovered this same word was used in the following passage there was no doubt God was speaking to me.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting (logizomai) people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5: 17-19 NIV
This passage says
- God reconciled us to himself through Christ
- God gave us the ministry of reconciliation
- God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them
- God has committed to us this message of reconciliation
I believe God wants to use all of us to bring reconciliation–reconciling people to God and reconciling people to each other. But NOT counting people’s sins against them is at the heart of this ministry and message. We cannot be a tallyman AND a reconciler! Day, me say day, me say day, me say day, Me say day-o. LH
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