Romans 3:19-20
We know that everything in the Law
was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these
things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the
whole world is guilty. God doesn’t accept people simply because they
obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Today,
we were driving home from a swim at the community Aquatic Center, and a
car in front of us stopped at a red light. When the intersection was
clear, the driver sped through it while the light was still red. The
children saw this, and Timothy immediately said, “Aunt Debbie! You need
to call 911!”
I agreed with him that this was a bad thing for
the driver to do…he had disobeyed the law. But I didn’t call 911 – even
when Nathan chimed in and said, “Yeah, Aunt Debbie…you need to do what
Timmy said and call 911!” I told the children that perhaps this driver
was having a bad day – or he didn’t realize that the light had not
turned green. There could be a lot of reasons that he broke the law…but
in this case, it was not our place to report it to the police. I guess
you could say…we gave him a pass!
Every one of us does things we
shouldn’t. We all break the law from time to time – if only when we
drive a mile or two over the speed limit. I am not condoning this! But
as this scripture points out – all the law does is point out that we
are not perfect – that we all sin! Our human nature often tells us that
we can concoct some semblance of a reasonable excuse for what we did.
And sometimes, we react without thinking – and say and do things that we
truly should not. There is no excuse for our behaviors…but we often
offer…“these things happen.”
Aren’t you glad that God does not
judge us for every single law we break – or even every sin we commit?
Yes, it is wrong to break the law. Yes, these actions hurt God and can
weaken our relationship with God – from OUR vantage point. But God
never turns His back on us. He never stops loving us…and if we commit
our hearts to Jesus and make every effort to love and serve Him – God
never stops forgiving us.
This is such good news…because on any
given day, we’re all stinkers…capable of lying, cheating, stealing –
and yes, running a red light! Aren’t you glad to know that God is in
your corner…that the laws we are called to obey are not what truly
define our relationship with Him…or our eternal destiny?! Stop today
and thank God for loving you…for His forgiveness of your sins and His
willingness to set you upright after you disobey, disappoint, or
disconnect in some manner with poor choices and selfish behaviors.
Ask
Him to strengthen your relationship…to help you keep your focus on the
teachings of Jesus and your commitment to be a faithful servant and
disciple. We shouldn’t presume that God will give us a pass – anytime on
anything. But aren’t we glad that when we fall short, He restores us?
Have you thanked Him today for His amazing grace and mercy? Don’t you
think you should?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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