11/01/2023
We have been purchased with the very blood of Jesus, and have come to know Him. We have been baptized in water, and then again in the Holy Spirit as it was poured over, and into, us... borne on the sweet breath of Christ Himself. Yet still we can find the allure of sin to be too great. How can this possibly be?
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
When we go to work for a company we might have opinions as to how things should be run, but in the end the decision belongs to our boss. We know this when we accept employment... so why do we struggle so hard against the rule of Jesus Christ over our lives when we have willingly asked Him to be our Lord and Savior? What do we do when we fail Him?
This struggle confounds us, but it is the result of our own self will and determination. God doesn’t take away our freedom of choice when we call Him our God, accept His Son as our savior, and receive the Holy Spirit... He magnifies it. He gives us everything and then asks us to choose continuously between what He has offered, and the world’s allure.
When I was a little boy I would go to a store called Woolworths Five & Dime. This was a store with a lunch counter and carried many items at a low cost. You could get just about anything you needed for everyday life at Woolworths... including candy. It was a wonderland for a small boy. One day I was in Woolworths with my mother and she was in a hurry, so as we passed the candy displays she said that I could have a piece next time.
With her holding my one hand and distracted with trying to balance her purchases with the other, I reached out, grabbed a couple of pieces of penny candy and stuffed them in my pocket. When we got to the car I climbed into the backseat of our car and very stealthily unwrapped a piece and stuck it in my mouth. It is amazing how good stolen candy can taste! There is something about having what we have been told we cannot have that increases the desire and the flavor of it. Unfortunately for me, my mother put the car into reverse, and throwing her arm up on the seat back she looked to see what was behind us as she backed up... there I was with the wrapper and a mouth full of sinfully sweet candy.
How many times have you been doing all of those things that God has asked of you, and then in a moment of poor judgement disobeyed Him? How many times have you been caught with a mouth full of candy and a guilty look on your face? We know the rules, we love Him with all our heart, and then in an instant of temptation our humanity gets the better of us. We disobey authority, we disappoint a parent, we let our wife or family down, we take matters into our own hands, or we disobey God. It happens all too frequently doesn’t it?
This isn’t the end of the story however. When my mother saw what I had done she asked “Where did you get that candy?” To which I just looked down and didn’t say anything. Then she dug a little deeper... “did you take that candy from the store?” To which I mumbled “Yes ma’am.” Now, there were two possibilities as to what could happen next; the first was that she would take me by one arm and paddle me right there in the parking lot in front of God and country (which was perfectly acceptable in 1958), or do something that I would find more painful than that. She chose the latter.
Pulling the car back into the space she opened the door, took me by the hand, and marched me right back into Woolworths. We briskly walked up to the cash register and came to a halt. There I confessed what I had done, returned the uneaten piece of candy, told the man how sorry I was, and then stood there as she paid for the piece I had already eaten.
Isn’t this what Jesus does for us? He leads us to the confession of our sins, and then stands there as we ask forgiveness... all the while Knowing He will cover our sin with His payment.
It was a quiet walk back to the car that day, and I just knew it wasn’t over, but when my mother opened the back door to let me in, she asked one more question “Do you understand what you did was wrong?” To which I remorsefully replied “Yes ma’am”. Then, when I thought additional punishment might be announced, she leaned down and hugged me; the lesson was over. I never stole another piece of candy after that.
The Lord loves us too. We often think that the sins we have committed are too great to be forgiven completely, but they aren’t. When we realize what we have done, confessed, and asked forgiveness... our sins are separated from us and we receive the hug of God.
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”
Psalms 103:11-13 ESV
It is wonderful to receive God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit into our lives, but in doing so it magnifies our transgressions. We become painfully aware of the implications of sin, and accountable for those pieces of candy we stuff into our pockets. But, even as we have been given the freedom to fail, God has also made provision for our forgiveness and return to His arms. The lessons of sin are not like the one we let go unconfessed and forgiven... there is no death for us in them because Jesus Christ has paid the price for each and every one of them. How do you want your story to end? Do you want to make it home with the taste of guilt and candy in your mouth, or with a sigh of relief and a hug of endless love?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your mercy and grace. I thank you for the love which you employ in every lesson I am taught. Holy Father, it is comforting to know that I am never so far down the road of sin that I can’t find you there waiting for my confession so that you can forgive me. Your grace knows no bounds Father, and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is enough to cover all sin... even mine. No matter how embarrassed, or disgraced I am; no matter how distasteful my sins have become, you are waiting for my return to you with a hug of love and forgiveness. Help me Father to forgive myself, even as you have forgiven me. Don’t let my guilt and shame become a tool for Satan as he attempts to keep us separated. Lead me Jesus; lead me back into Woolworths, and stand beside me as I confess, and you cover my transgression; then ask me “do you understand what you did was wrong?” In this way I can say “Yes”, and ask for forgiveness. Lift me up so that our Father might take me into His arms once more. Praised be His name, and great is His mercy and grace… warm and loving are His hugs of forgiveness.
Rich Forbes