Psalm 86:1-7
Bend an ear, God; answer me.
I’m one miserable wretch!
Keep me safe—haven’t I lived a good life?
Help your servant—I’m depending on you!
You’re my God; have mercy on me.
I count on you from morning to night.
Give your servant a happy life;
I put myself in your hands!
You’re well-known as good and forgiving,
bighearted to all who ask for help.
Pay attention, God, to my prayer;
bend down and listen to my cry for help.
Every time I’m in trouble I call on you,
confident that you’ll answer.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Let’s be honest...every
single one of us has “blown it” at least once in our lives. We’ve said
or done something we should not have said or done. We’ve treated someone
unfairly or unkindly. We’ve worn something that looked horrendous!
Okay...that last one is probably not in the same league as the
others...but you get my point!
The point is, we are human beings...and I’ve got a news flash for you...human beings are NOT perfect!
So we mess up, make mistakes, hurt others – and ourselves – and we
often look pretty foolish in the process. In short...we are frequently
like the psalmist - ”one miserable wretch” in need of a pretty hefty
dose of forgiveness, grace and mercy.
Hear the GOOD NEWS...GOD is
in the business of doing exactly this! When we humbly submit ourselves
to Him...when we accept His gift of salvation through the blood of
Jesus Christ and earnestly strive to follow Him, God helps us stay on
the right track. He understands that occasionally we may “go off the
rails” for a bit – and that’s where His grace and mercy come into play.
Our job is to know where to turn for help...to stay in close
communication with God so that these “derailments” are kept to a minimum
- in terms of both frequency and damage...and to do all we can to
humbly seek God’s forgiveness, and to do the necessary work to make
amends.
Tall order? You betcha! But operating in the protection
of God’s forgiveness, grace and mercy certainly trumps a life of misery
and regret in my book any day of the week! Let’s take a good look at
our lives today. Let’s see where the wheels seem to be coming off the
rails – and make every effort to get back on track. Let’s stop and
humbly ask God to forgive us – and to show us how to ask others to
forgive us, where necessary. Let’s make a concerted effort to pay
better attention...to walk more closely with God and listen for His
voice in all things at all times. And let’s be sure to thank Him for
taking pity on such “miserable wretches” as the likes of you and me!
“Every time I’m in trouble, I call on YOU, confident that You’ll answer.” This is GOOD NEWS for all of us who serve God with our whole heart! Are you one of them? Don’t you want to be?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label making amends for offenses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label making amends for offenses. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for November 14, 2013
Acts 10:34-36
Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
On a cold, snowy February night just over 20 years ago, I stood with my friend Kathy under the portico to the Pierre Hotel in New York City and watched as stars and entertainers arrived and departed from limousines. We were in town on a business trip… the entertainers and celebrities were attending a party inside the Pierre that was being held by the executives at Arista Records to celebrate the Grammy Awards ceremony the following night. Kathy and I are both about as “southern” as they come… and when we opened our mouths, it was evident that we were NOT native New Yorkers. However, we kept quiet and tried to blend in with the crowd as I snapped photos with my camera.
A couple standing next to us began to heckle the stars and the doorman. They were being incredibly vulgar and rude, and the hotel security official shot them more than one ugly glance. He even walked over to where we were standing and asked them to pipe down, which only made the couple laugh harder and become more offensive. Finally, he insisted that this young man and woman leave the hotel property. They immediately began to question this, and the doorman told them, “You do not belong here… you are not guests of the hotel… you need to leave – NOW!” The couple protested and pointed to Kathy and me and said, “But why don’t THEY have to leave? They don’t belong here!” The doorman told them, “They are guests of the hotel.”
To be clear, we were not staying at the hotel. We had merely wandered through the lobby to take in its ornate décor, and we happened to notice Cindi Lauper and a couple of other “famous” people as we stepped back outside. So we quietly parked ourselves along a velvet rope and tried to look inconspicuous. AND… the key word most likely was “quietly”. We were not heckling anyone. We were not shouting obscenities and looking the other way, as if someone else had uttered them and we didn’t know where the offensive words originated. We were not arguing with anyone or being a bother. So we got to stay… and the doorman treated us quite kindly. And in the end, the hecklers moved along down the sidewalk (and probably crashed another party at a neighboring hotel).
I have every confidence that this entire spectacle could have been avoided. Had the couple shown a little respect and honored the doorman’s authority and position, they could have been “wannabe paparazzi” like Kathy and me. We were no better than they were. And if you want to “go there”… the celebrities we were ogling were truly no “better” either! We give far too much credence to “celebrity” in this world – at least in my book! But the point I want to make is that these people forfeited the “privilege” of standing on that hotel portico and taking in the sights by failing to respect the authority of those in charge. They did not recognize… or accept… the parameters. They were unwilling to do as they were asked. And so “the door was closed.”
Where in your life have you “closed the door” in effect… on your relationships with people…on opportunities for improvement and/or advancement… and most significantly, on God? How have you disrespected the authority and guidelines? Where have you refused to “play by the rules” and essentially cost yourself a place at the table? How have you treated the people and situations in your life… and what has been the outcome?
We make a lot of our own messes, it seems. We make life and relationship choices that alter our course… and often close a lot of doors. We can correct this… especially with God. We can recognize and respect His authority in our lives… and His will. In turn, as we begin to give God the proper reverence and regard, He will open doors for us to repair and restore relationships and the conditions of other circumstances in our lives. God can put together what we have broken… if only we will bow before Him and ask for His forgiveness… and His help.
I don’t know about you, but the one door I never want closed is the door to heaven. I never want to behave in a manner that causes me to hear God say, “You need to leave.” I hope you feel the same way… and that you will do whatever it takes today to reconnect with Him… and to repair other relationships and situations where you have been disrespectful. You can regain your place at God’s table… you can stand once again alongside the “velvet rope” and enjoy the party. The choice is totally yours. How will you decide?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
On a cold, snowy February night just over 20 years ago, I stood with my friend Kathy under the portico to the Pierre Hotel in New York City and watched as stars and entertainers arrived and departed from limousines. We were in town on a business trip… the entertainers and celebrities were attending a party inside the Pierre that was being held by the executives at Arista Records to celebrate the Grammy Awards ceremony the following night. Kathy and I are both about as “southern” as they come… and when we opened our mouths, it was evident that we were NOT native New Yorkers. However, we kept quiet and tried to blend in with the crowd as I snapped photos with my camera.
A couple standing next to us began to heckle the stars and the doorman. They were being incredibly vulgar and rude, and the hotel security official shot them more than one ugly glance. He even walked over to where we were standing and asked them to pipe down, which only made the couple laugh harder and become more offensive. Finally, he insisted that this young man and woman leave the hotel property. They immediately began to question this, and the doorman told them, “You do not belong here… you are not guests of the hotel… you need to leave – NOW!” The couple protested and pointed to Kathy and me and said, “But why don’t THEY have to leave? They don’t belong here!” The doorman told them, “They are guests of the hotel.”
To be clear, we were not staying at the hotel. We had merely wandered through the lobby to take in its ornate décor, and we happened to notice Cindi Lauper and a couple of other “famous” people as we stepped back outside. So we quietly parked ourselves along a velvet rope and tried to look inconspicuous. AND… the key word most likely was “quietly”. We were not heckling anyone. We were not shouting obscenities and looking the other way, as if someone else had uttered them and we didn’t know where the offensive words originated. We were not arguing with anyone or being a bother. So we got to stay… and the doorman treated us quite kindly. And in the end, the hecklers moved along down the sidewalk (and probably crashed another party at a neighboring hotel).
I have every confidence that this entire spectacle could have been avoided. Had the couple shown a little respect and honored the doorman’s authority and position, they could have been “wannabe paparazzi” like Kathy and me. We were no better than they were. And if you want to “go there”… the celebrities we were ogling were truly no “better” either! We give far too much credence to “celebrity” in this world – at least in my book! But the point I want to make is that these people forfeited the “privilege” of standing on that hotel portico and taking in the sights by failing to respect the authority of those in charge. They did not recognize… or accept… the parameters. They were unwilling to do as they were asked. And so “the door was closed.”
Where in your life have you “closed the door” in effect… on your relationships with people…on opportunities for improvement and/or advancement… and most significantly, on God? How have you disrespected the authority and guidelines? Where have you refused to “play by the rules” and essentially cost yourself a place at the table? How have you treated the people and situations in your life… and what has been the outcome?
We make a lot of our own messes, it seems. We make life and relationship choices that alter our course… and often close a lot of doors. We can correct this… especially with God. We can recognize and respect His authority in our lives… and His will. In turn, as we begin to give God the proper reverence and regard, He will open doors for us to repair and restore relationships and the conditions of other circumstances in our lives. God can put together what we have broken… if only we will bow before Him and ask for His forgiveness… and His help.
I don’t know about you, but the one door I never want closed is the door to heaven. I never want to behave in a manner that causes me to hear God say, “You need to leave.” I hope you feel the same way… and that you will do whatever it takes today to reconnect with Him… and to repair other relationships and situations where you have been disrespectful. You can regain your place at God’s table… you can stand once again alongside the “velvet rope” and enjoy the party. The choice is totally yours. How will you decide?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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