Busted!
“He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.“
Psalm 103:9-10 (NIV)
Contravening a “No Entry” sign results in a big fine and three penalty points; I found out three months after receiving my host country’s driver’s license. I foolishly drove through a small section of road that had posted “No Entry.” A month before, this road was a two-way road. The police were patrolling, waiting for drivers like me to drive the wrong way down this street. As my husband eloquently put it, “You were busted.”
With a three-point ticket in hand, I sat behind the wheel trembling and praying I would make it back home without any more penalty points. A total of six points results in losing the license.
I praise the Lord for the lessons learned. As I washed dishes that night, the thought came: the reason this hurts so bad is because there will be a record of it. The points are there to remind others and me that I broke the law.
However, God isn’t like this. Once I confess my sin, He casts it far from me and remembers it no more. God doesn’t keep penalty points.
But the Lord also gently revealed that I have a tendency to keep penalty points on people. They’re called grudges. He loves me freely and without points, and He wants and expects me to love in the same way, freely and without conditions. This can only be done through His Holy Spirit living in me. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal. 5:14, NIV) translates as “Love people as I do, without penalty points."
Father, forgive me when I bear grudges against others. I specifically pray that I will no longer bear a grudge against . Convict missionaries today if they are holding a grudge so that they will confess, forgive and seek forgiveness. Amen.
Text exerpt from Voices of the Faithful. Order your own copy from the
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