I realize that we have never met and likely never will this side of heaven, but I feel the need to be openly transparent with you. So, here goes. Just because I write devotionals about faith in Jesus Christ, doesn’t mean that I’ve got all my spiritual ducks in a tight little row. Truth is, there are days when I feel like God should simply wash His hands of me and deliver my pink slip via heaven’s FedEx branch. Now that I’ve come clean, I pray that you won’t think less of me and will continue to read.
I do take comfort in knowing that I’m not alone in my transgressions, that even though I fail miserably at times in my walk with God, mankind has been steeped in sin since day one. How do I know this?
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23 NLT)
The other day for example, I was trying to remount a wooden bi-fold in my basement. This door is old and rickety, but it does the trick. The problem is that when I had some carpet re-installed, the door would no longer fully open after I laboriously set it back in place. Yes, my blood pressure was rising at that point. Off came the door. I adjusted the track and hardware top and bottom and then attempted to affix the door back into its upper track.
That’s when the door let go at the top. CRACK! When I glanced up, the top frame had split apart and several horizontal wood slats had slipped out. Frustrated and in no mood for battle, I managed to pull the door away and lay it down. I spent an hour trying to fit the slats back into place and glue the frame back together.
What’s so bad about that you might ask? Well, in my haste and growing fury over a bi-fold door with a mind of its own, my anger boiled up and my tongue unleashed a rash of expletives that I wasn’t in any way proud of. See, I told you I was a sinner.
“And so blessings and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.” (James 3:10 NLT)
I stopped what I was doing and immediately asked for God’s forgiveness. I’ve been a Christian all my life, and yet I’m still prone to blowing it. The devil loves nothing more than when we mess up or when our faith lags, or we become angry when prayers go unanswered in a timely way. But, did you know that salvation is still possible despite the consequences of our sin—that God is quick to not only forgive, but He will also forget?
“He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.” (Psalms 103:12 NLT)
Thankfully, Jesus is loving and slow to anger, a win-win when we get it wrong. It’s immensely comforting to know that the stain of my sin is redeemed by the blood of Jesus while I continue my quest to become a better person and live the life that God has planned for me. Like death and taxes, sin is an absolute guarantee in our lives, but blessedly so are these two glorious bible verses…
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NLT)
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NLT)
My bi-fold door is still a thorn in my flesh as I write these words, but it’s comforting to know that despite the number of times we bark up the wrong tree on our faith journey, the hope for a brighter tomorrow is God’s unwavering truth for you and for me.
All we need to do is trust in Jesus and let Him do the rest!
Paul Smyth
