Caught or not? 10-03-2014 One day recently I was eating in the Sam’s Club café portion of the store when I saw a young man come running towards the café, jump up on and then over a table, and head out the door. A security person from the store was in close pursuit. I do not know whether the person was apprehended or not. This person was obviously guilty of attempting to or succeeding in doing something illegal, or at least something which was not in keeping with the rules of conduct for the store. The person felt guilty enough that he fled whatever had occurred, with great enthusiasm. Afterwards, when I was driving down the road, what came to me was that Adam and Eve, when they disobeyed the one rule that the Lord had given to them, and later heard Him walking in the garden, hid themselves and tried in their way to escape from the consequences of what they had done. It was not possible for them to do so. Our Lord sees everything, even to the discerning of the intentions of our hearts. But they tried anyway. And I know that I have tried to hide from the consequences of things I have done. One time I even tried to hide behind a house when I had been caught speeding. My stomach was in a knot, the adrenaline was pumping, and all I could think of was “let me slide this time, and I’ll never do this again”. In hindsight, I’m glad that the trooper was smarter than I was. The guilt would have eaten me alive, even if I had “gotten away” with it. The bottom line is that we are each and every one guilty of disobedience against our Lord; first of all by birth, as the descendents of Adam and Eve, and secondly by the things we have willfully done ourselves, when we make our wills more important than God’s instruction for us. We are all caught red-handed, the cookie jar lid on the counter and crumbs on our lips. Nothing gets past the eyes of the Lord. Basically, we’re toast! But the twist to the story is this. Our hearing and trial has already been held. We weren’t present, but our Representative confessed for us, took the blame and the sentence, and wiped our record clean. (Romans 5:8 tells us: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”) Just thinking about that fact gave me peace that had nothing to do with any existing situation or circumstance. I reflected on how good it feels not to have any charges against me, to know that I’m free of guilt, forgiven, and able to enjoy what the Lord has made in this world, and beyond. If you’ve surrendered your heart, life, and will to the Lord, that’s your status, too. If you haven’t, you can do it right now. (1) Admit that you’ve missed the mark that the Lord has set. (2) Believe that Jesus stood up in your place and died for your sins. (3) Give Jesus your whole self, dirty hands, warts and all, and accept the forgiveness that He’s already given to you. (4) Let someone whom you trust know about your decision, preferably someone who can help you grow in your new faith, or can direct you to someone who can. (5) Take a deep, clean, free breath and walk in the new life you have just entered into. Be caught in Jesus’ net of reconciliation and renewal, and let Him transform your life; heart, soul, and spirit, into the masterpiece that He planned for you to be, before you were even conceived. You decide; will you be caught, or not? ():o)
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 21:13:36 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015