It Adds Up

It's not one bad day that ruins a career, or one hasty word that kills a relationship. But it's the little things left undone, or the careless words and inattentiveness that, over time, can spell death to things you value, that you care deeply about. That affect people you love.

It's the little things. Lack of little things turn into bad big things.

And things break...

Think about your most important relationship - the one with God. How are you doing on the little things?

If any of us - you, me - anybody - sinned only ten times a day from our tenth birthday to our sixtieth--and keep in mind we're not just talking about rape, pillage, and murder, but the full range - lying, cheating, stealing, and we are including our heart attitudes and motives—what would our rap sheet look like with only 10 sins a day for 50 years?

We'd have piled up 182,500 infractions of the law.

Now let's say that many of us have broken the law and gotten off with a warning. Maybe it was speeding, and the officer checked you out and decided that it was just an isolated failure of judgement, and let you off with a written, or even a verbal warning.

That still leaves 182, 499 times you blew it. So you are going to court.

What judge in his right mind would turn you loose with a record like that?

That's why it is so important to examine yourself and see if you are living what you say you believe. It's not about believing in God - even satan does. It's about loving God so much that you want to do not just the big things, but the little ones too. So every now and then you have to step away from the vehicle and get the big picture. Here's how David, king of Israel did it.

1Generous in love--God, give grace! Huge in mercy--wipe out my bad record.

2Scrub away my guilt,

soak out my sins in your laundry.

3I know how bad I've been;

my sins are staring me down.



4You're the One I've violated, and you've seen

it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you;

whatever you decide about me is fair.

5I've been out of step with you for a long time,

in the wrong since before I was born.

6What you're after is truth from the inside out.

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.



7Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,

scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.

8Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,

set these once-broken bones to dancing.

9Don't look too close for blemishes,

give me a clean bill of health.

10God, make a fresh start in me,

shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Psalm 51 - The Message


A fresh start... Lord. Hear our prayers. Be Who You are. Our rock, our fortress, our deliverer. Wash us clean and give us freedom not to repeat the past.

A Genesis week - yes!

Grace!

David
www.newhopevalp.org

Chariot Sticker Faith

An astronomer and a theologian were flying next to each other on an airplane. The astronomer smugly turned to his seatmate and said: "You know, there is no need for all those millionsA of volumes of religious literature. The whole essence of religion can be summed up in one simple phrase: 'Love thy neighbor, as thyself,'" whereupon the theologian retorted, "And the whole science of astronomy can be summed up in the simple phrase, 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star.'"

One of the habits that hasn't changed in the history of mankind is our tendency to try to reduce the complex into a simple saying that will fit on a bumper sticker. We are studying the Ten Commandments on Wednesday night just now, and I learned today that some Jews tried to use them as a "bumper sticker".

In the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, the Ten Commandments was always proclaimed before the Shema. Strangely enough, however, outside the Temple, however, the practice was banned. The rabbis felt that though the Ten Commandments helped give people a rough outline, the real picture of God came from reading the whole Torah - memorizing it and applying it.

What about us? Are we guilty?

Most people, when asked about the good news of Jesus will quote John 3:16.

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life

John 3:16 (NLT)

As great as that verse is, it only begins to describe our riches in Christ Jesus. There is so, so, so much more.

Take 10 minutes tomorrow and read the story of God's love. You can even begin in John. :)

Grace!

David Wilson
www.newhopevalp.org