It’s Confession Time

Colossians 3:12-17

 Do you notice anything unusual about this picture? Does anything look out of place? What about the grill? Aren’t grills normally on your deck in the back of the house? But this one is on the patio in the front of a condo…. my condo.

 For the past nine years our grill has been on the deck in the back until this year when we received a notice from our condo board that there is a state law that you can’t do that. Who would’ve thunk it? In order to comply, we moved our grill to the front patio. Problem solved right? Wrong!

 About a month ago we received a “First Notice for Rule Enforcement” from the condo board stating that our grill was on “common property” and therefore, according to the By-Laws, must be removed immediately. Even though this is a confession, I won’t share my initial, uncensored reaction when I read this notice at the end of a long day at work.

Eventually, after calming down and thinking rationally, I composed what I thought was a well-reasoned and thought out letter signed by my wife and myself. It explained why we disagreed with the board’s position and backed it up with the condo By-Laws.

That should have been good enough for me to put this matter in the past; but it wasn’t. My anger and resentment kept poking its ugly head up from beneath the surface. Then this week, in preparation of writing this devotional, I read my verses.

¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.           NLT

 Darn! There are so many times it would be much easier to not be a Christian; to not have to follow Christ. I would much rather be angry and unforgiving. I prefer to justify my actions because of some perceived wrong. It’s so much easier to be angry because people don’t live up to my expectations. Then came the dagger.

 ¹⁷ And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.  NLT

It’s confession time. Do you feel convicted after reading these verses? I do. As a result, although I’m not sure what we will do about our grill, I most certainly need to change my attitude and to represent the Lord well. 

God’s Grace Changes Lives

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Thessalonians%202%3A13-17&version=NIV;GNT

 

Jesus told a great story about the unforgiving servant. In it, a servant who owed his master 10,000 talents (over $12 billion in today’s money) begged for grace and mercy. The king forgave the whole debt.

 

The same servant then turned around and demanded that a fellow servant pay back what he was owed – almost $12,000 in today’s money. Instead of showing his fellow servant mercy and grace, he had him thrown in prison.

 

The Thessalonian church was being severely persecuted, so they were dealing with serious struggles. Paul encouraged the Thessalonian believers to first stand firm in the face of their circumstances. Then he reminded them to show God’s grace to others in 
word and deed.

 

¹⁵ So then, our friends, stand firm and hold on to those truths which we taught you, both in our preaching and in our letter. ¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us unfailing courage and a firm hope, ¹⁷ encourage you and strengthen you to always do and say what is good.             GNT

 

These words apply to us just the same as they did to the Thessalonian believers. Standing firm in the midst of struggles, temptations, and sinful desires is no less difficult today that it was then.

 

Showing God’s grace in our daily life is also hard. Just try to show God’s grace to the guy who cuts you off in traffic; to the neighbor who yells at you because of your dog; to your spouse or children who don’t meet your expectations; to a co-worker who is annoying. But God’s grace changes lives.

 

John Newton was a slave trader who lived most of his early life at sea. Newton had a reputation for profanity, coarseness, and debauchery. During a fierce storm he had a conversion experience that changed his life. He became a minister and years later wrote the song “Amazing Grace”. He was also very influential in the abolition movement in England.

 

Which character do you identify with in Jesus’ story of the unforgiving servant? Do you find yourself more often judging others like the servant, or showing grace like the master? We are called to become more like the master.

 

God’s grace changes lives. Has it changed yours?