Parent Eye

Sometimes people get "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes". This is when someone else's child or grandchild does something it's wrong, but if my own child or grandchild does it, it's okay. This can be something seemingly simple, but it can be something glaringly big. It can be something innocent, but it can be something sinful. It can be something against God's word, yet if it's MY child or grandchild, my "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" easily overlooks it because I don't want to believe that what my child or grandchild is doing is wrong.

Let's just look at some of the things that can cause "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes":

#1: In sports, MY child walks with the ball. "Parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" yell, "He/she did not walk!" Everyone else clearly say that he/she did walk, yet the parent can't believe it; however if someone else's child walks you can hear murmuring, "That's the third time he/she has walked!" See the problem? Yes. And the child didn't offend God. It's an innocent mistake. No big deal, really. The parent and grandparent could be offending Him, though, just by their attitude.

#2: In life, YOUR child is living with their boyfriend/girlfriend. "Parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" will see YOUR child and think (rightfully so), "That is wrong! (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18...Ephesians 5:5) Sexual relations outside of marriage is sinful in God's eyes! It's listed with murder in the Bible! (Revelation 21:8)" And it is! Yet a few years down the road and those same parents and grandparents will have a child that moves in with their boyfriend/girlfriend and seem to not have a problem with it. Maybe they do deep down, and of course they wouldn't shout their disdain to the world or on social media (hopefully), but seemingly act as if it's okay. Nothing is said, even to close friends who are around them all of the time. And oftentimes the child/grandchild is posting on social media what is blatantly against God's Word, be it sexual immorality, drunkenness, mocking God or Jesus, etc. They're not only doing it, but flaunting it in the eyes of friends and family and strangers.

The point is that we all do sin and do wrong, of course, but as parents and grandparents, we must learn to see what is real. We can't excuse things in our lives and the lives of our children/grandchildren, yet condemn those around us who do the very same thing. If it's wrong, it's wrong.

Christian's are under different guidelines than those in the world in regards to sin. If a lost person does wrong, they are no more lost than they were before. They are separated from God because of sin. When a faithful Christian does wrong, it's sin, but the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us and make us spotless again when we confess our sins and ask God to forgive them. He is a graceful and merciful Heavenly Father and aren't we thankful that He is?!

If we are Christians we have an obligation and commandment with instructions to follow when someone is wrong, as in the example of sexual immorality given above. We find this in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, where Paul says:

"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world (Note from Parent's After God's Own Heart: This was written to Christians and for Christians, not for this 'of the world' who are not Christians), or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”"

That is God's instruction, whether we're looking through "parent eyes" and "grandparent eyes" or not. Our eyes can change. We can put on dark shades or rose colored glasses that distort what is true and right. God's Word never, ever changes. He is the same. The Bible is the same. And wrong is wrong, no matter what.

What eyes are you looking through today? Are they seeing what's real? Are they seeing what is right? Or are they seeing through "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes"?

"I'm Sorry"...A Huge Milestone

Recently one of my children had to be punished for something.  (For those who know me, it's easy to figure out that two are "punishable" age and two are not! Ha ha!)  The "crime" made me more sad than mad because of what this child had done. It may have been something they thought would just be fun and okay, but in reality, the child should have known better....and did know better.

I explained how I felt about what this child had done.  My husband set the punishment, which resulted in something being taken away for several days.  I really wanted this child to say two simple words (or three without it being a contraction :) ).  I wanted them to say, "I'm sorry."  But I've never made our children say I'm sorry.  I wanted them to say it without being forced, but with honesty and sincerity.  One of my children say it soon....as soon as they've done something.  Another one is quick with apologies, as well.  But the other two?  Well.....I'll just say it doesn't come easy for them to admit they are wrong in that area.  Of course, children aren't the only ones who have trouble with that phrase. Many adults can't say it, either.

So, I'll admit I was a little bit disappointed that "I'm sorry" didn't come.  But then it did come!  A few hours later this child came to me and said they were sorry!!!  I was so excited and told them that was the best thing they could have done.  The child knew it and said, "It's the hardest thing."  A HUGE MILESTONE.

Saying sorry comes easier for some than others, but it's important for us to say, "I'm sorry".  It clears the air. It makes things okay again.  Of course, saying, "I'm sorry" only works if the person apologizing actually changes.  It will not work if "I'm sorry" is sad over and over and over just trying to cover the "offense".  Saying I'm sorry is only sincere if there is a true desire and effort to change.  It is not repeating the same offense over and over again.

This makes me think of repentance and our relationship with God.  Sin seperates us from God.  Repentance brings us back to Him.  We can't continue in sin as Christians and expect His grace to just cover everything without doing our part.  Walking in the light means striving to live a life of holiness.   When we mess up, we must confess that sin and ask Him for repentance.  He will forgive us, but He wants us to acknowledge our mistakes.  And we will forget.  There will be times we won't realize we have sinned or we won't remember every wrong.  His grace is sufficient.  Praise Him for that!

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Romans 6:1-2

Saying, "I'm sorry".  It is a huge milestone.  Have you attained it?  Can you say it?  Who needs to hear it from you?

...yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

The Chronicles of Biscuit - Part of the Plan

Note: The Chronicles of Biscuit - Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit

Recently Biscuit got in trouble for having a bad attitude.  It was while we had company, so I had taken him into his room to talk to him and made him sit on his bed for a while before coming back in and joining the group.  While he was in there, he wrote a sweet letter - acknowledging his bad attitude and the fact that sin is in the lives of both sinners and forgiven sinners.  Here's his letter (his words and punctuation):

Dear church:

If possible I would like prayers from you. I've had problems with attitude towards my family & others. And ever time I hear what a wonderful plan it was to put Jesus on the cross I ask myself, "How could sin be part of the plan." They say that God is amazing but why did he know that sin was gonna come?

(And then his signature.)

What a sweet letter of repentance!  Biscuit knew as soon as I looked at him and asked him to go with me to his room that he was in trouble.  He knew why right then, because he knew how he had just talked to me was a BIG NO NO!  He especially knew that doing it in front of guests was even worse.  But Biscuit also is a Christian, so he knows of God's plan for forgiveness.

Each time one of our children has become a Christian, the first thing I've talked to them about was the fact that they still would do things wrong - that we all do.  I don't ever want them thinking that being a Christian means that one will never sin again.  Obviously that's not true. Only Jesus was totally sin-free!  But, I also made sure that they knew about recognizing sin and repenting of it - that God would forgive them.  The blood of Jesus continues to cleanse!  That is the plan!  God's wonderful plan!

So obviously Biscuit is having a hard time understanding all of the plan, and that's okay.  He's still young.  He is learning to recognize sin....learning to have a repentant heart....and learning about forgiveness.  Sometimes mature Christians even have trouble with that concept.  On this GRATITUESDAY, I am grateful for God's plan!

As I write this post this morning, my head is humming the tune and words to "Thomas Song".  It goes so well with Biscuit's thoughts.  I want to share it with you.  It's sung by Hallal - the group I have playing on my blog - along with The Zoe Group.  It has a beautiful message in the lyrics.

Join us for GRATITUESDAY at Heavenly Homemakers!

Thomas' Song

Ken Young

Verse 1
Jesus, You were all to me,
Why did You die on Calvary?
O Lamb of God I fail to see
How this could be part of the plan.

They say that You're alive again,
But I saw death and ev'ry sin
Reach out to claim their darkest win.
How could this be part of the plan?

Chorus 1
If I could only hold your hand,
And touch the scars
Where nails were driven.
I would need to feel Your side
Where holy flesh by spear was riven
Then I'd believe, only then I'd believe
Your cruel death was part of the heavenly plan.

Verse 2
Holy presence, holy face;
A vision filling time and space.
Your nearness makes my spirit race.
Could this be part of the plan.

I see the wounds that caused the cry,
From heaven, ocean, earth, and sky;
Where people watched their Savior die.
Could this be part of the plan?

Chorus 2
Reaching out to hold Your hand,
And touch the scars where nails were driven;
Coming near I feel Your side
Where holy flesh by spear was riven.
Now I believe. Jesus, now I believe.
Your cruel death was part of a heavenly plan.

Ending
I proudly say with blazon cry.
"You are my Lord and my God."

Copyright © 1993 Hallal! Music Exc., Dayspring Music, LLC, Toddler Tunes Music Exc.

The Speeding Ticket

So, a "first" happened to me Saturday night.  I got stopped for speeding and got a ticket.  I'm not proud of it.  I'm not happy about it, either.  In fact, I cried for quite a while afterwards.

I was heading to a basketball game, using the navigator (I call her Betsy.) on my phone.  I was listening closely to make sure I had taken the right road, got to the edge of a tiny town, and speeded up.  I knew I was going to be late already.  That was a fact.  Of course, I ended up later than I should have been.

When I was out of town, so I thought, I speeded up.....getting close to the speed limit for out of town in Oklahoma.  The only problem was - I wasn't out of town apparently.  A cop was at a dark church parking lot on what, I guess, was the edge of the tiny town.  He turned his lights on and turned around. I knew immediately he was going to stop me, so pulled over.

The first thing I said was, "I've never been stopped for speeding before. I never speed."  (I was forgetting that I had been one other time many years ago - also at a small town, but that time going into town.  He let me off when he saw the pile of "kid" stuff in the passengers' side and three kids in car seats in the back! He knew I wasn't paying attention to that traffic sign!)  So back to this time......The officer said he was sorry he had to be the first one.  Something told me he wasn't sorry.  He delighted in it!

He asked me if I knew how fast the speed limit was where he stopped me. I said no...that I was worried about being on the right road, but that as soon as he turned around out of the parking lot, I saw a speed limit sign - which I did.  

Because of my good record, the policeman took a few numbers off of my speed - to help me not have to pay so much.  I appreciate that, but honestly, couldn't believe he gave me a ticket!!  I expected a warning.  However, yes....I was speeding and it wasn't just a little bit over.  I was almost at the out-of-town speed.....because I thought I was out of town.

I was guilty.  I admit that, of course.  I should have been paying attention more.  

When he came back, he gave me the ticket.  I can't remember what he said, but the final thing he said at the end was, "Everyone speeds."  I replied, "I don't!  It's against the law!"  He just looked at me....like I was lying!  I guess he was thinking, "Well, you were this time."  He's right. I was.....but it wasn't intentional....not that it makes any difference.  I think what surprises me is the fact that he said, "everyone speeds".  I guess that's why everyone always passes me!  I had suspected that, but didn't really think it.  Actually I know that not "everyone" speeds.  Others are concerned about breaking that law - just like they wouldn't deliberately break any other law.

So, I'll have to pay the ticket.  Actually, he said I'd have to appear in court....but there isn't an address....just a P.O. Box.  Surely I can just mail the check?!  My husband is checking on that for me today.

My sweet husband was very understanding.  He listened to my sob story.  Later I found out that he laughed and laughed when I got off the phone with him.  I'm crying still, and apparently he was laughing!  (Payback!).  But then guess what he did?!  He called my dad and told him!!  I got a call from my dad - who lives in Texas (and me in Oklahoma).  He said he and mom were watching a ballgame and they stopped the game just to put traffic violations up as a ticker across the screen.  My name was on it, he said.  Oh, those two guys are going to get it some day soon!  :)

I'm still not very happy about the whole thing.  Now when we play games like, "I have never.....", I can't use the one:  "I have never had a speeding ticket."  I also wasn't very happy that the officer seemed to enjoy the fact that he stopped me.  I know it's his job....and I appreciate the job he and others do, but didn't like the fact that he seemed to enjoy it.  He was young.  It's a small, small town without a lot of action, I'm sure.  I'm disappointed in myself for not paying better attention and now having to pay money for this mistake.

The last thing the officer said was, "Have a nice day."  I replied, "I won't now!"  That was wrong of me.  Very, very wrong.  I should have just said "thank you", but I let the devil get ahold of my thoughts and my attitude.  Those are the times that are hard to "let your light shine", and I failed at shining.  Thankfully God forgives me when I fail and ask for His forgiveness!

Next time.....(There had better not be a next time with a speeding ticket!) I WILL choose to shine!  The next "trying time" (There will be plenty of those.) I will choose to shine!  Those are the times I need to shine the brightest.  Those are the times I must resist the temptations of the devil to react in the way he wants me to, instead of in the way God wants me to.

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. ⁴ For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Romans 13:1-8

The Chronicles of Biscuit - The Haircut & the Confession

The Chronicles of Biscuit:  Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit.

Saturday night our three boys were getting their clothes out and ready for the next morning's worship.  We had company spending the night and figured Sunday morning would be a little more hectic with eleven people getting dressed, so asked them to get everything ready in advance.  My husband, Joe, was studying in our bedroom (he was preaching out of town the next morning).  I was in the living room with our two older boys, and he sent me a text that said, "Biscuit has picked out all of his clothes and has them on.  You should let him wear it." 

After reading the text, I became a little concerned about what Biscuit might look like when he came into the living room.  I warned Biscuit's older brothers that no matter what he had on, they could not laugh because it would hurt his feelings. 

In a few minutes, Biscuit came into the living room....all dressed up and hair fixed in a spiked mohawk-type style.  I quickly glanced at the older brothers, reminding them of the "deal" of no laughing.  It was kind of hard not to, but none of us did.  Biscuit beamed with pride as he showed me his "duds" and hairstyle.

Biscuit had on a lime green, orange, white, and blue plaid, long-sleeved, button-down shirt, a yellow and navy striped clip-on tie, and a navy suit jacket and navy suit pants....as well as the spikey-mohawk hair style that he had obviously worked on very diligently. 

Biscuit asked me, "Can I wear it?"  Years ago I would have said no.  I would have tried to explain that the plaid shirt and yellow striped tie didn't match, but now I said, "Yes."  I said yes because everyone in town or out of town that knows Biscuit would know that he picked out his attire all on his own.  They would know, without a doubt, that I wouldn't have picked out the mismatched items.  They would also know that it really doesn't matter if it matched or not.  Biscuit was pleased and was showing his independence and that is what mattered.

The next morning arrived and Biscuit quickly got dressed.  He redid his spiky mohawk.  We all went to Bible class and worship.  After that we had a potluck dinner (yum) with our church family. 

Biscuit was in line for the dinner standing by his sister and a few of her visiting guests.  When I walked up to them, Biscuit held up his arms as if he was surrendering.  Biscuit started saying, "Mom, I sinned.  I cut my hair with scissors because I didn't like this part right here (pointing to the front part of his hair line).  I shouldn't have done it and I confess.  Please forgive me."

I talked to Biscuit about his haircut and why it was wrong to cut it, (safety, didn't need it, etc.) but I also told Biscuit that I forgave him.   Biscuit knew he shouldn't have done it, and he admitted it. At the time I actually couldn't even tell he had cut it, but when it is down and not spiked up, it shows.  I haven't mentioned the haircut since then.  He'll get a reminder about the issue every time he looks at his hair in the mirror.

Biscuit learned a lesson that day.  Yes, he learned that he shouldn't have cut his hair on his own, but he also learned a valuable lesson about admitting wrong, confessing wrong, and receiving forgiveness.  As Christians, our sin doesn't just hurt us and it can also hurt others; however, most importantly, it hurts God.  It separates us from God.  Admitting sin and confessing it shows that we are acknowledging our imperfections, but relying on the One who can perfect us.  God will forgive us.  Jesus' blood sanctifies us.

In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Ephesians 1:7

Parenting is great and unique way to show God's love to our children.  There are times when they need and deserve discipline and they get it, but then they are forgiven.  There are other times when they need and deserve discipline, but then they are not punished....only forgiven.  Sometimes they get pardoned. 

God does the very same thing with His children.  Some times He disciplines.  Some times He pardons.  All the time He forgives when we ask Him.

For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.

Hebrews 12:6

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Does It Really Matter?

Sometimes I get the feeling that people don't really care.  Maybe it's just me, but it seems that in the world, Christianity is professed, but not always lived out.  I'm not trying to be judgemental at all.  Some things are just obvious.  Trey Morgan wrote about this recently in his blog post BE BOLD TODAY.  Sometimes we, as Christians don't live out our lives boldly.  It's like we want to hide our Christianity or we only want it when it's convenient to do so.  But Jesus wants us to follow Him whole-heartedly....to pick up our cross (our burden) and follow Him daily.  He's coming back, just as the Bible tells us.  He wants us to be ready!

Does it really matter how we live?  Let's see what the Bible has to say. Consider this passage from 2 Peter 3:10-14 (the heading of this chapter says, "The Day of the Lord", meaning when Christ returns.)

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.


So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

Notice where I've enlarged the text and the question it asks:  What kid of people ought you to be?  Apparently it does matter how we live.  Of course, Jesus' free gift of salvation is not earned by our "goodness".  We could never be good enough to earn salvation.  But, because Christ gave His life for us and God has asked us to live a certain way in this passage, as well as many, many others, it seems that it really does matter how we live.

So what did this passage say about how we should live?  It said that we should live holy and godly lives.  What does that mean?  God is holy.  Holy means set apart.  So living a holy and godly lives is being set apart.  Set apart from what?  Since God hates sin and there is so much sin in the world and all around us.  It would make sense that we should be set apart from sin. 

The Bible actually lists sins throughout the Bible....too many to list here, but sin literally means to "miss the mark".  I don't know about you, but I probably miss the mark in some way at least once every day.  Thankfully, we serve a loving and merciful Heavenly Father, who is willing to forgive us when we miss that mark.

Does it really matter? Apparently, to God, it does.

Isn't Your Bag Heavy Enough?

I received this via email from Inspiration Daily .  It's such a great thought I wanted to share it with you today, along with this scripture that goes well with the message.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13

Isn't Your Bag Heavy Enough?

One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes. For every person we'd refuse to forgive in our life experience, we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of our bags, as you can imagine, were quite heavy.

We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to our desk at work.

The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying spiritually. We were constantly reminded how we had to pay attention to it all the time. We could not forget the bag and kept putting our bag in embarrassing places. Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty slime.

This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our pain and heavy negativity! Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person and it clearly is for ourselves as much as anyone!

So the next time you decide you can't forgive someone, ask yourself... isn't your bag heavy enough?

- Author Unknown

The Chronicles of Biscuit - I Won!

Do you see the HUGE hole in the knee of Biscuit's pants?  Well, yesterday after school Biscuit (our youngest child) and one of our other sons had a dentist appointment.  When we got to the dentist as Biscuit was getting out of the van, I noticed ths hole.  Here's the conversation that followed:

Me:  Biscuit, how did you get that hole in your pants?

Biscuit:  I was trying to win the race at P.E.

Me:  Where were you racing?

Biscuit:  In the gym.

Me:  You tore that big of a hole in the gym?  Are you sure you didn't get a small hole then tear it with your hands and make it bigger?

Biscuit:  No, mom.  I'm telling the truth.  It tore in the gym.  I wanted to be first in the race.

Me:  Did you win?

Biscuit:  Yes.

Me: (In my head, but not out loud, "Well, you'd better be glad you won since you got that hole and went to the trouble to slide into the finish line.)

Me: What did Coach W. say?

Biscuit:  Nothin'.  Sorry about my pants, Mom.

Me:  It's okay this time.

I didn't really know what to say.  I am amazed that the hole is so big after sliding in the gym to win the race, but apparently it did.  I could end this post with "Winning isn't everything" and say that I told Biscuit that winning shouldn't have been that important, but I know that he didn't mean to tear the pants.  It just happened.  I didn't get on to him yesterday.  If it continues and more clothes get torn, then I would, of course.

Here's my thought for today:  Forgiveness and mercy... God's continued love for His children.  A parent forgiving a child and granting mercy...a parent's love for their children.

P.S. And did you notice Biscuit's un-matching socks?  That's for another post.  There's sure to be a lesson there!

Remember the Duck?

I received this devotional thought via email and wanted to share it with you. I had heard this story before, but didn't remember where it was from. Mr. Smith follows up the story with his own thoughts about God's forgiveness. I emailed Mr. Smith several months ago and asked for permission to post an email of his. He said that was just fine and to use any of them I wanted to share with my readers from time to time. Enjoy!

REMEMBER THE DUCK?

In his book, "Will Daylight Come?" Robert Heffler pens this moving illustration:

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with, out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting discouraged, he headed back to dinner.

As he was walking back, he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes."

But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn't you Johnny?" And then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, and Grandma said, "I'm sorry, but I need Sally to help me make supper."

But Sally smiled and said, "Well, that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." And she whispered again, "Remember the duck?" Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he killed the duck. She knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. But, I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

********

You would think that once we receive forgiveness from God, Satan would leave us alone, but he doesn't. He continues to accuse us and tries to make us feel guilty. That's what he does best -- he's an accuser. Sometimes we make the mistake of listening to him and thus remain a slave. Forgiveness offers freedom -- freedom from guilt as well as freedom from sin.

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.' " Revelation 12:10

May you seek to know God's forgiveness, and the freedom that goes with it.
Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Looks Good, Doesn't It?

See this brownie?  It looks good, doesn't it?  Well, it isn't.  In fact, it's horrible!  At first, if you were to bite into this brownie, it would seem okay, but then you would begin to taste the flavors and find that something is definitely wrong.  I'm not sure what went wrong.  My daughter made a double batch of them and apparently messed up somehow.  We think she may have put too much baking powder.  But, at first glance, the brownie looks good.

Isn't sin this same way?  Some things that are sinful - at first glance - seem appealing.  If they weren't appealing, we wouldn't sin or be tempted to sin, would we?  But, just like this brownie looks appealing and might taste okay right at first, as it stays in the mouth for a little while, it gets worse.  Sin might not seem too bad at first.  We might think we're "okay" because it's just once...or just a few times....or just ever so often.  But, little by little that sin can destroy us.  Even the first time we sin it seperates us from God, but to continually do it over and over puts us further and further from Him.

Although only a few of these brownies were ever taken from the pan, I had to throw away the whole batch.  I knew that because those few brownies tasted bad, the whole batch was bad.  We must do the same in our lives...get rid of all sin.  We can't keep some sin in our lives and get rid of others.  No sin can be hidden from God.

But now my brownie pan is clean and no more of the "bad" remains.  It's the same way when we confess our sins to God.  He wipes the slate clean.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

Thank you, God, for your unconditional love for us and your willingness to for our sins when we repent.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen