A Scrap of Blue

It wasn't really all that big, the scrap of blue plastic that lay in the road ahead of me, as the Great Dane and I made our morning rounds. But in the middle of the road, it stood out, and made me wonder what it was and where did it come from.

Lifting my eyes as we continued, I found its source - a home near the water, with roof damaged from Ivan, had been temporarily protected by the blue FEMA tarps. In the weeks that followed the hurricane, everyone's efforts had been to clean up and protect what was left. With the shortage of material and labor to repair, many homes are still not back to the way that they were before. The tarp was tattered, and sections of the roof were uncovered again.

But the rain comes.

Last week, we received a foot and a half of rain, accompanied by pretty fierce winds. Temporary measures to fix permanent problems only work so long. A scrap of blue tarp told me that. I walked on praying that not too much damage had been done.

What about you? Have you tried to make do, instead of making things right?

You see, I'm convinced that people suffer a lot of needless pain, for a lot longer than God would have them do, simply because they would rather hide from the problems, or paper over them, than fix them in a God-honoring way.

And friends, sooner or later, your "tarp" will tear, and there will be more than a scrap of blue in your life. The rains will come, and damage will follow, that could have been avoided if only you turned to God.

Why not take action today to mend broken relationships, to cease sinful behavior, to make things right between you and God and you and your fellow men and women. It's not too late, as long as you have breath in your lungs, you can say "Forgive me."

Here is what the Master Builder has promised to do if you will:
If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)

God will make it right. Trust Him.

Grace!

David

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.