Saturday Sermonette - I DIDN'T DO IT

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:9-11 NKJV.

Small children are famous for trying to shift fault for spilled milk to a sibling or the family dog or cat, but it's always the parents' constant hope and prayer that their children will outgrow this childishness. Unfortunately, we don't always, do we?

I want you to notice that when you have one finger pointed at the one you want to blame, there are always three fingers pointing right back at yourself.

Agreed, your parents weren't perfect. No one is. They made mistakes while raising you. But I'm betting they guessed right most of the time. Forgive them for the times they didn't.

Your friends didn't always choose wisely what to do for entertainment--but you didn't have to go along for the ride, did you? Forgive them--and then ask God's forgiveness. While you're at it, forgive yourself.

Your spouse has had bad days when she (or he) took it out on you. But then--there are days when she (or he) gave you grace when you didn't earn it, right? You know what comes next: Forgive.

Your children make wrong turns all the time. It's the nature of childhood. It's up to us to steer them back onto the right course--and, of course, forgive them.

Grace works. Or at least it has for me.

It was grace that allowed me to forgive my dad for being an alcoholic.

It was a lack of grace that made me put divorce (revenge) before healing. My final marriage was the cure for me--and grace grew.

I yelled at my kids a lot. I provided a lousy image of what an adult should be like. I brought home men that I should never have allowed around my growing kids. I got drunk too many times and used that as an excuse for doing stupid things. I fell more often than I stood. I asked for God's and my children's forgiveness, and they gave it. I felt washed clean.

Grace works.

Lord, help us all to turn away from every wicked thing and embrace Your pure light. Help us forgive when it seems impossible. You are the perfect example of all we should be. Help us, Lord, when we aim for that star! In Jesus's Name and for His sake, amen.