sins

Unearned Favor

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

We moved to a new state eleven months ago. This new state doesn’t have the bank where we have banked for our entire marriage. So, throughout the last months, we have been slowly moving checking and savings accounts to a new bank closer to home. It’s been a process. Stopping and restarting automatic payments and deposits. Hoping we haven’t forgotten any. I think we’ve finally crossed the finish line with the previous bank. Oh. We didn’t have any complaints with the former bank. We just needed a bank that was close to home. Not two states away.

We happened to be near a branch of the old bank a couple of weeks ago, so we stopped in to finally close out all the accounts. It was the end of an era. As we sat down with the bank manager, he pulled up our accounts. He calculated any interest that might be owed on the small amount we still had in the bank so he could produce a final check for us. And then he said the words we all hope to hear but usually don’t. Do you have another account? I told him that we had already moved our investment accounts, so no. There are no other accounts.

But lo and behold. There was an account in the name of the man of the house. It had sat dormant for many years. And the balance in that account blew us away. How could an account with that much money be forgotten and set aside? How does that happen? I don’t know. But it did.

I have to confess. As I sat there, I created in my mind a long list of ways to spend that wad of unknown money. We had hit paydirt. Oh no. Don’t get me wrong. We weren’t suddenly wealthy. But when you’re told you have a nice amount of money coming to you that you didn’t expect, you get a little excited. But I do have to admit that I sat there waiting for the shoe to drop. Would he discover that the account really wasn’t my husbands? Would the man have to come clean that what he thought was our account really wasn’t? But no. He didn’t. And we walked away with a lot more money than we had expected. It felt good to have that extra cash in our pocket.

What will we do with the money? You ask. I have no idea. Right now it’s sitting in a savings account accruing a very small amount of interest. But it’s ours, and it feels good. To be honest, I could have it spent in no time. Our new home has a host of updates that need to be made. Oh. We’re whittling down the list a little at a time, so every little bit of unplanned financial surprise is just that. A surprise.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Did you know that the word grace was used 124 times in the New Testament? And the apostle Paul used that same word 86 times in his writings. Grace is undeserved favor in God speak. And grace is getting something that we shouldn’t get without working for it. But God gives it to us without charge to us. Oh. There was a payment for grace. A huge sacrifice. Anyone who knows anything about the Bible knows that the sacrifice was God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was crucified and died on a cross for the sins of every person who has ever had life. We didn’t have to ask for this favor. It was given to us freely. At least, it’s free for us. Someone did die for us to have that favor. And he did it willingly.

I think about the free gift of grace. It’s similar to the free money we discovered in a forgotten checking account. Oh. But this gift of grace is different.  It has eternal consequences.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

When I think of grace, I’m reminded of the neighbor who shoveled my driveway all winter.  And he asked if I minded if he did it.  And then another neighbor recently loaned us two window air conditioning units when our central air stopped working. They didn’t have to offer these acts of kindness to us, but they did it from the bottom of their hearts with no expectations of receiving anything in return. That’s what grace is. Good neighbors. Kind hearts. Acts of generosity.

Grace is an act of kindness we don’t expect or deserve.  It’s just given free of charge without any expectation of repayment.  So when the snow shoveling neighbor asked if we would mow his lawn while he was on vacation, you bet we said yes.  And when the air conditioning neighbor asked to use our water line and hose while he worked on a concrete project next door, you bet we agreed. 

God’s grace extends to everyone who calls on his name for salvation. We can also offer grace in a multitude of ways to those who need a helping hand or a favor. They may ask, but they may not. We can still offer a loving hand to help.

I remember the story of Jesus stopping to rest at a well outside of the town of Sychar in Samaria. He knew that a woman with a checkered past would come to the well in the heat of the day to draw water. She didn’t come with the masses of women during the cool morning hours, for fear of being rejected. She came alone when no one would be around. Except on this day, Jesus sat there waiting. He asked for water, and she was surprised at the request because he was Jewish. She knew Jews looked down on Samaritans. And then he offered her living water that would quench her thirst forever. She questioned how that was possible. So he told her of this living water that would change her life. And he continued on to tell her that he knew of her five husbands and that the man she currently lived with wasn’t her husband. He didn’t judge her or rebuke her. In love he offered her forgiveness and grace. Undeserved favor. And desperate for it, she gratefully accepted the invitation. And she ran and told the people of her town the good news.

Oh. Don’t be fooled. This woman from Samaria was very aware of the tensions between the Jews and her people. She knew exactly why Jews wouldn’t associate with people from her region, so she was very surprised when this obviously Jewish man sitting alone at the well asked her to get him a drink of water. She didn’t hesitate to serve him, but she had questions and he had the answer she didn’t know she needed.

You can read the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) Ephesians 2:4-5

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:24

Did the bank manager, out of the goodness of his heart, just randomly offer us a sum of money that wasn’t owed us? Did the neighbor just randomly choose me out of thin air to shovel my driveway? Did the other neighbor happen to walk down the street and assume our air conditioning wasn’t working because our windows were open? No. The banker realized the money legally belonged to us, so he set the bank right with us. The neighbor shoveled our driveway because he knew I was living alone. The other neighbor offered the two air conditioners when I happened to mention our situation during a random conversation. These men used the gifts they had to serve those who were in need. Oh. They didn’t have to offer anything, but they did. And that’s exactly what Jesus Christ offers to anyone who comes to him. He offers forgiveness, grace and mercy. He will wipe our slate of sins clean when we confess and repent. He will make us a new person ready and willing to serve him. The least we can do is bow in submission and receive the free gift of salvation that he is offering.

Secret Sins

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

He was coming over to the house after work. We had scheduled an appointment to have a couple of minor household repairs done. The day before the appointment, I realized my house wasn’t in order. My house wasn’t ready to be seen by someone who didn’t live there. I needed to make it presentable. I needed to clean up and put things away.

So I started cleaning. Straightening up the areas the man would walk by in order to get to the repairs. I didn’t want him to see the clutter. The stacks of papers I hadn’t gotten around to filing or tossing. I didn’t want him to see how we really lived. I cleaned up the island cluttered with mail. Why do we keep piles of unread mail on it, anyway? Why don’t we keep the house straightened up? Just in case someone would stop by at a moment’s notice? Why don’t I live prepared for unexpected guests?

You may be sure that your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23

We reconfigured the cubicles at work. The problem workers are now seated where their computer monitors are in full view of passersby.  They don’t know it, but rumor has it that they’re being watched. They’re frantically trying to position their monitors so they’re out of  view. They’re profusely and loudly complaining about their newly assigned seats.  I want to tell them that if they’re only displaying work on their monitors, there’s no need to be concerned.  If they’re doing nothing wrong, why are they acting so guilty? 

They’ve got to realize that our employer is in the business of watching. We help companies protect their information. So why do my coworkers think they should be above the law? Why do they not realize their every move is monitored? Why don’t they remember that we have experts in our office who hack into other websites for a living? And they do it legally and ethically to help our clients. But these coworkers of mine are doing things openly, yet they think they’re flying under the radar. Don’t they realize it’s not just what can be seen on their monitors that’s being watched? It’s also the contents behind the scenes that are being recorded.

For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. Luke 8:17

There is someone else. He didn’t know his world was about to come crashing down.  But when the doorbell rang that morning, he was arrested for obscene behavior. Taken to jail in his pajamas. Oh.  He made the news that morning. His job was usually to provide the news. But now he is the news.

He is well known.  well liked.  trusted. For thirty plus years, he has been a public voice in the community.  His world was turned upside down when he opened the front door that morning. Now he’s no longer employed. His career is ruined.  No one knew the secret he was hiding.  or did they?  Was someone shielding him?  Who turned him in?  How was his private life discovered?

And in one moment, everything changed for this man. Oh. Things had already changed for him some time ago. Things began to change when he make a conscious choice to do wrong. Hoping he wouldn’t be discovered.

Do we all have a private life waiting to be discovered?  good?  bad?  ugly?  What will we find when we open the front door? What does our browser history show? What messes are hiding behind our closet doors?  Are we ready to face the piper?  Are we ready to stand in judgment?  On a moment’s notice?

Your sins will find you out. You won’t get away with it. There will be justice. In this life or the next. Or both.

–Jared C. Wilson

Sin is like cancer. It starts small with a bad attitude. Or a sharp word. A poor decision. It slowly builds to another bad decision that over time becomes commonplace. A bad attitude becomes a burnt bridge where there’s no return. A sharp word turns into gossip or lies that grow out of control until false words are accepted as truth.

You can fool all the people some of the time. You can fool some of the people all the time. But you can’t fool all the people all the time.  And you can’t fool God. Ever.

God knows and sees everything all the time.

Available: Forgiveness

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

She trusted them.  They stole from her.  They thought they had fooled her.  They didn’t.  They created a story of untruths.  What started out as an act of goodwill ended up with stolen treasures, lies, loss of trust and possible loss of friendship.  Was it worth it?  Was it worth the risk to take things belonging to another?  Things that weren’t yous?  For what?  A few dollars?

Now when they see each other, and they will, they’ll remember.  They both will.  The thief and the victim.  They’ll avoid each other.  Unable to look each other in the eye.  They’ll both be uncomfortable.  For different reasons.  Ruined friendships for their children.  All because of greed.  All because of wanting more.  All because of wanting what others have.  Was it worth it?

Then there’s the punishment.  What’s appropriate?  Confront them?  Press charges?    How do you really prove guilt without finding the stolen objects?  Deep down, you know who took the items.  You just can’t prove it.  How do you confront an injustice when you can’t really prove it?  But deep down, deep down you know.  And they know you know.

Imagine the fear of getting caught.  Imagine the stories the guilty have had to create.  Imagine the strain on relationships of those who are guilty.  A mother and child.  Both involved.  Why would the mother put that stress on her child?  Why would she lead her child down a path of wrongdoing?  Were they that desperate?  If so, don’t they know help is available?  Would they accept help?  Wouldn’t the fear of getting caught and being punished be more embarrassing than asking for help?

Have they done this before?  Perhaps this wasn’t the first time they had taken from others.  Perhaps they have a history of unpunished wrongdoing.  Have they taken advantage of others’ kindness in the past without being confronted or punished?

All the victim wanted was to get her possessions back.  No police.  No arrest.  Just right the wrong.  She offered mercy to those who had taken from her.  She chose forgiveness. She decided there was too much at risk to publicize the wrong that was done to her.  Going public with the offense would cause embarrassment to the guilty.  Perhaps.  Going public could break up the guilty family.  Perhaps.   Going public would end the friendship.  Perhaps.  But was it right to stay silent?  Is offering forgiveness and mercy enough?  Should all wrongdoings be punished?

I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.                Isaiah 43:25

The Bible tells us that everyone has sinned.  We were born sinners.  We need to right our wrongs.  We need to ask for forgiveness.  If not, we will be punished.  It’s an eternal punishment in the depths of hell.  Who wants that?

We have a forgiver.  One who offers forgiveness for all our sins.  No questions asked.  Mercy is offered for admitting guilt.  Sure.  There may be consequences because of our actions.  Wrongs will have consequences.  Some consequences and punishments are private.  Others public.  But forgiveness is always available.  Always within our reach.  All we have to do is ask.

His name is Jesus.  The forgiver of our sins.  He will wipe our sins off the map.  He will drop them into the depths of the ocean.  He will remove our sins as far as the east is from the west.  He will forget we ever sinned.  Once he has forgiven us.  We’re made new.  New creatures.  Go and sin no more.