Good Tuesday morning! Enjoy the day; winter may arrive tomorrow in all of its glory. Snow, blowing snow, cold... pretty much what they have out on the East Coast already. We may not be able to predict the future, but sometimes just reading a headline can give us a pretty good idea of how some event might go. "Man shows up drunk for sentencing." You and I can guess that the sentencing for this man will probably not go well on whatever charge he was found guilty, and he may get a little treatment program and possibly a citation for contempt of court as well. We don't have to be a prophet to know that showing up to court drunk is not a good idea. Now I'll read the article...
Ah, probation violation, the man got another six months of jail time. I often wonder if I haven't done something similar to God's court. I repent, ask forgiveness, while at the same time the stain of another sin rests on my soul. It may sound kind of dumb, like the drunken criminal, but I'm sure that I have done something very like that. Praise God that Jesus paid the price for all of our sins, not just one here or that one over there, but all of them. If all of my sins are forgiven, then do I need to worry about asking again? Some would tell me that when Jesus forgave all of my sins, that was that, and I don't have to ask forgiveness anymore. I understand, but at the same time, I agree with God that some action or thought was a sin and that I need to acknowledge it before Him. I think that God likes me to stop, agree with Him, and most importantly, let Him know that I agree with Him. Perhaps I do not specifically need to ask forgiveness each and every time, but as a part of acknowledging that I do stumble in my Christian walk, I like to ask for the forgiveness of God and apologize for my sin. It isn't that I think the grace of Jesus is insufficient, quite the contrary, but I do like to show my respect for God by agreeing with His Holy Spirit when I sin and the Spirit points it out to me. You might say that it is like showing up for court cleaned up and neatly dressed to show respect for the court. The judge will also be much more impressed if you agree with the Law that you are in the wrong.
Our drunken criminal denied that he had been drinking, not exactly an agreement with the Law. A blood test disagreed with his claim. We tend to laugh, and it is funny from our comfortable distance. But do we appear in God's court sometimes with the stink of sin on our own breath? Bad news for all of us, on our own we would certainly show up in God's court in that sinful condition. However, each of us has that greatest of defense attorneys when we believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. You might imagine Jesus as that defender who strips down the dirty criminal, cleans him up, puts a white robe on to cover the nakedness, a robe purchased with his own blood, and then stands the criminal off to the side. Off to the side? Yes, Jesus will stand in the place of the accused and has taken the punishment for all those who believe in Him!
Thank God for His mercy and grace! Have a wonderful day in Christ,
Bucky
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