Ah, The Intense Scrutiny

Good morning on this cloudy day! Yesterday was a Sunday in September. I'm not trying to shock you; you probably realized that long before, well, hopefully at least sometime yesterday. That means that many of us, a whole lot of us if the Nielsen figures are an indicator, gather and sit, or just plain sit, to watch some NFL football. While watching this professional sport, we may notice an intense scrutiny leveled at the players and coaches. This year the refs, being replacements from as far away as the Lingerie Football league, are under much more intense scrutiny than usual for them. The penalty calls and non-calls have been a bit ragged to be sure, but expectations are also lowered. These refs after all come from less demanding levels of the sport. In your Christian life, you too came from a much less demanding level of life.

In your life before salvation, you sinned and were expected to sin from time to time. In some levels of life, a person may have wallowed in sin constantly. A person from the illegal drug culture or the adult film industry would hardly be expected to live a saintly life. However, you and I gave our lives to Jesus. And now, whatever level we may have played in before, whether in an industry of sin or simply one of the normal, decent, 'good' people, we now are playing at a level of intensified scrutiny. The people of the world are going to be watching you. How has your life changed? What good works do they see that show God is active in changing this former sinner into something different? Are you, like a few replacement refs, trying to blend in with the field so that no one can tell where that botched call came from?

I would imagine that a few of these refs are wishing for a uniform of a nice grass-green hue at times. The demands of their new position are much greater and far more visible. We have a similar change when we stand up for Jesus. Is my life perfect in every way now? Free from all sin and thoughts of sin? Not at all. There are times that I kind of seem to blend in with the world. But God is changing me, and the good news is that I am forgiven now. We are not awaiting forgiveness at some future date when God knows that there will be no more sin in our lives. Praise God that we are forgiven and that His Spirit dwells within us.

Bucky