I did it again.I went forty years without ever doing it once and now I have erred twice in nine days in this ridiculous manner.Thinking it would be a onetime novelty I even wrote a blog about it on the 20th of this month and turned my little faux paus into a conduit of spiritual insight.Now I've gone and done it again.I got dressed in the dark this morning and put on two completely different shoes - AGAIN!
Beyond the obvious need to turn on the closet light before getting dressed I wonder what the Lord might want to teach me through this repeated failure today.I considered the metaphor of "an unbalanced walk with God" or "a double minded man is unstable in all his ways" or even "how beautiful are the feet of them who bring good news".Yet in the end, I have chosen to welcome this lesson from my new addiction to mismatched footwear:
Luke 17:3-4 - "Take heed to yourselves: If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, I repent; you shall forgive him."
Putting on different shoes certainly does not rise to the level of committing sin (unless you are a disciple of the Fashion Channel), but my repetition of this error does remind me of a comforting truth of God's character.Jesus was teaching His disciples of the command to forgive those who sin against you but who also come in repentance and ask you to forgive them.To heighten the importance of this, Jesus teaches that if someone has the audacity to sin against us seven times in one single day we are to forgive them each time they humbly request it.Here is the lesson:repetitious failure requires repetitious forgiveness.Now this is such a difficult thing for us to achieve that the disciples spoke on our behalf as soon as Jesus taught them this by declaring, "Lord, increase our faith." (Luke 17:5).This command for our relationships may be one of the hardest of all to perpetually fulfill - keep on forgiving no matter what.Today, my thought is focusing on something I deduce from this command of Jesus rather than examining the command itself.This conclusion from His command is what should bring us comfort.
Because Jesus commands us to forgive on a repeated level, we can be fully assured that He also forgives in this manner.
Some in the body of Christ have some serious and constant struggles.Some have besetting sins that are not yet laid aside.The reality of strongholds in the lives of believers gives occasion for God's word to teach us to wage war against the world, the flesh and the devil.Observably, the flesh is the final frontier for most of us to conquer.The flesh doesn't want you to forgive that one who wronged you;the flesh requires that you not to forgive once, much less the demanding notion of seven times in a 24 hour period.The flesh keeps leading you back to gossip, back to covetousness, back to lust.Sure we blame the devil for a lot of it but, in reality, it's likely not something he needs to be involved with.Failing to walk in the Spirit always results in fulfilling the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).Satan need not drop by when our flesh can create an equally distressing break in our fellowship with God.Let's be honest, we tend to put on two different spiritual shoes before beginning our daily journey more often than we like to admit.We don't have a balanced walk.We start our day in the dark sometimes and never get to step into the light.I'm going to say it: on some days we're a bunch of stinkin' sinners.
But, alas, I smell the aroma of grace!
Jesus will forgive you seven times today.Jesus can forgive you 7,000 times today if that is required.His forgiveness is not to be equated with dismissiveness.No, we are to come to Him in full heartbroken repentance every time we look down and see mismatched spiritual cleats.We should hate our trespasses as much as our Lord does.Sin brings the believer grief and when she is grieved she runs to the One who brings her the solace she needs.We know that the Lord is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, enduring, faithful and rejoices when a poorly-shoed saint comes back to the Father's house.As intensely as God hates sin, to the same degree, He loves to forgive.None of us want to have to experience that forgiveness because, in doing so, we are acutely aware that we have dishonored the Lord.Having said that I must also add that none of us wants not to experience that forgiveness because if that is the case then we have forfeited the gold of life's journey.We don't wish to need His forgiveness but we are so incredibly grateful for its availability.
I'm committed to putting on two brown shoes tomorrow.It is in my power to do so;I may need to plan better, slow down a little, wait on some light to fall before beginning my day...but I am confident that I will not do tomorrow what I've done today.Having said that, if I happen to blog for a third time concerning this failure I will likely remember what God taught me today:for every misstep of mine, there was a perfect step by Jesus.I am forgiven for it all through His precious blood.He has forgiven me for eternity and the reality is that every individual sin along the way is already atoned for.May I so treasure Him and the blessed grace that He gives that I find myself walking in his sandals every day.
