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No Record
by Julie Arduini Psalm 130:3: "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?" NIV 1Corinthians 13: 4-5: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." NIV We went out to dinner as a family moment before my husband left for a work trip. Of all the places to go, we chose McDonalds. I know, big shock with small kids, right? My order is standard, always the chicken wrap with barbeque sauce. Problem is,they don't agree with me. Case in point: last month I took the kids there for dinner and while talking along I let out a sound that I can't even define as a burp because the humiliating act had an echo that turned heads. The kids cackled and cackled. They bring it up often, even during this most recent Golden Arches meal. As our trip to the airport progressed, we paid tolls. I wasn't even in my husband's life then and even I recall the same story his older children told from years ago: he went to pay the automatic toll and missed the catch, dropping his money. After all this time, no one forgot. Same for when we needed an elevator to get my husband to the correct gate. Even our oldest says, "remember when" and tells the tale of when my husband's older children used to sit on elevator floors. My elevator recollection is from a few years ago when I was in a performance of "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames". My character perished in an elevator accident. If I ever hear the music that accompanied my dramatic death scene, I can assure you I'm off that real elevator! Embarrassing sounds. Clumsy actions. Uncomfortable moments. Our kids don't forget those times and most likely, spouses don't either. I'm so thankful to serve a God who does not keep a record of our wrongs. It isn't because He's ditsy and He forgot, it's because He loves us so much He chooses not to. As Psalm 130 states, who could stand under such a recollection if the Lord did such a thing? I've been watching online evenings on God.TV. services out of Lakeland, Florida. God is using a man the world would never think of because his record of shame is etched in his skin with colored ink. Todd Bentley by his own account was saved in his drug dealer's trailer. He used to cut himself and was an alcoholic. Then Jesus came. I blush over a traffic stopping burp. Todd Bentley remembers the smells and sounds of artificial highs. Perhaps your account of deeds lie somewhere in the middle. No matter what you've done, are doing, or are even tempted to do, you can live a true clean slate free of shame. Call on the Lord today. The Lord who forgives. The Lord who is Love. The Lord who keeps no record of wrongs.
Julie Arduini, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/, is devoted to writing for Christ in ways that encourage and inspire. A graduate of the Christian Writer's Guild, her writing resume is on her blog's sidebar. Happily married to Tom, they have two children.
@2009 by Julie ArduiniArticle Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |