Calling All Sinners!!
Calling All Sinners!!
Yup, my friends – that’s me.
Yesterday I really screwed up;
Of course, not intentionally.
We sinners never mean to
Cross over the kindness line
Into lack of compassion.
We don’t commit sin by design!
So when we sinners mess up,
As God knows we always do,
How do we learn to forgive ourselves?
Does this happen, my friend, to you?
Yesterday’s “Today in the Word”
by the Moody Bible Institute,
dealt with this subject
right when I needed it most.
The scripture for the day was:
“For I have not come
to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 9:13
What do I need to let go of?
What did I do that was so bad?
I made Bob feel like a burden
Instead of making him feel glad.
I was mad that he left me
At the church without a word.
He was that mad that I left him.
Now, isn’t that absurd?
It’s all about communication.
Yes, I know, he should have said
“Hey Honey, let’s go home now,”
But he just left instead.
Yup, we butted heads over
The slightest misunderstanding.
I found another way home.
Oops… that was a crash landing!
He’d only gone to the post office
And then he came back to get me.
I didn’t know where he had gone
And his absence really upset me.
Earlier he had wanted some help
On a simple music interpretation task.
I was in the middle of something else
And irritably made him sorry he’d asked.
Today we’re back to talking
In civilian tones to each other.
Yesterday’s behind us; we’ll forget
How we rankled one another.
But making peace ain’t easy
When you’ve crossed the kindness line.
We hate to admit we’re wrong.
But repentance helps us align.
Align our will to our loving call
To be responsive to each need
Expressed by those around us.
That’s our call, our mission. Agreed?
“Let love be genuine,
Abhor what is evil;
Hold fast to what is good.”
Romans 12:9
In my devotional yesterday, “All God’s Creatures” by Guideposts,
the writer, Jerusha Agen, reminded me of the importance
that unconditional love be exhibited. She wrote about
“Simon’s Love” telling about a cat who acted like a dog.
Jerusha’s favorite pet had died.
It was the first time in her life
She was without a dog to cuddle.
But her cat took away the strife.
Her cat started acting like a dog,
Meeting her at the door when she got home,
And sitting in her lap to comfort her.
Letting her brush him with a comb!
Her cat, Simon, knew to mourn with her.
Simon seemed to know what she needed.
In grief, Jerushah had been neglecting him,
But Simon forgave that sin; with joy conceded.
“Rejoice and mourn with others,
According to what they need,”
Jerusha wrote to her readers.
Ask Bob for forgiveness – with speed!
I’ll ask God to help me be more
Loving and responsive to Bob.
Help me with my impatience, Lord.
Help me show genuine love to my heart-throb!
Here’s my heart-throb when I met him
He was in the army at the time.
Happy Veteran’s Day on Saturday.
Ours is a long-term love sublime.
That doesn’t mean we don’t argue
Or make each other mad at times.
But, God tells us sinners to forgive…
Just as He does – ALWAYS, not just sometimes!
You can probably relate to my “Faux Pas” –
You’ve probably blundered some, too.
But, God is calling us sinners:
Let love fill the dog-shaped void in you!
Let forgiveness be your guiding star,
Since we all forget to be compassionate – ’tis true.
I’ll look for ways to show love like Simon.
And God’s calling you, my dear sinner, too!!
God bless You!
Love,
JanBeek
Can you just kiss and make up, too??!!
Written
on October 13, 2023