UNFORGIVENESS // JUNE 5, 2023
And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
Acts 15:39-40
Though the Holy Spirit had called Paul and Barnabus together, they parted ways after an intense argument about John Mark. Barnabus wanted to bring John Mark on their next mission, but Paul disagreed, saying he had abandoned them. Who was right?
We might consider Paul an MVP of faith, given that he wrote most of the New Testament. Before that, Paul (then named Saul) had dragged out Jesus' followers to have them killed, but Jesus gave him a new name and a second chance. Was he now holding back on forgiving John Mark? Sometimes we can avoid allowing someone new in because of our past hurt. We should be careful who we write out of our life. Later, when everyone abandoned Paul, he reached out to none other than John Mark. We might count them out now, but need to count on them later.
Can you have great faith but struggle with forgiving someone else? If it could happen to Paul who God worked through to write most of the New Testament and grow the church, it could happen to you. Whatever you do, don't go at life alone. You may not want them out of your life; there's something powerful about teamwork. Yet even in the midst, God can turn our division into our multiplication.