To make a difference may mean that it is necessary for this man to rise above injustice. He is forgiving. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was stoned to death by the Jews because he fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel. With his last words, he pleaded with God to forgive his murderers.

As the members of the Council listened to Stephen, they became furious and ground their teeth at him in anger. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God’s glory and Jesus standing at the right-hand side of God. “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right-hand side of God!” With a loud cry the members of the Council covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul. They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died. Acts 7:54-60

Our godly man who wants to make a difference does not take revenge. Without reason, King Saul wanted to kill young David. One day, David had a golden opportunity to get rid of Saul. Saul had gone into a cave on his own. From his hiding place at the back of the dark cave, David could have easily ended the life of the unsuspecting Saul. However, he refused to take revenge on his enemy. Unnoticed, he cut off a piece of Saul’s robe and, in doing so, proved his own innocence. Later, he confronted Saul about what he had done:

“Why do you listen to people who say that I am trying to harm you? You can see for yourself that just now in the cave the Lord put you in my power. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I felt sorry for you and said that I would not harm you in the least, because you are the one whom the Lord chose to be king. Look, my father, look at the piece of your robe I am holding! I could have killed you, but instead I only cut this off. This should convince you that I have no thought of rebelling against you or of harming you. You are hunting me down to kill me, even though I have not done you any wrong. May the Lord judge which one of us is wrong! May he punish you for your action against me, for I will not harm you in the least. You know the old saying, ‘Evil is done only by evil people.’ And so I will not harm you. Look at what the king of Israel is trying to kill! Look at what he is chasing! A dead dog, a flea! The Lord will judge, and he will decide which one of us is wrong. May he look into the matter, defend me, and save me from you.” 1 Samuel 24:9b-15

Do you make a difference in your community or do you walk around with vengeance in your heart? Follow the example of Stephen and King David. Be forgiving and make a difference.

Prayer: Lord, I confess that it is not always easy to forgive people. I pray that through your Holy Spirit, you would give me the necessary strength to forgive. Help me to make a difference in my community. Amen