The "worst kind" of sin...and the best forgiveness

Today: 2 Chronicles 32-34

If you were to picture the "worst kind" of evil...or the most evil person...what would you picture?
A guy who purposely burned his own sons to death in a fire might fit the bill. Today's chapters describe such a man, King Manasseh of Judah. Manasseh was corrupt--he lead the people of Judah to worship idols, he practiced witchcraft and he set up a carving of a sex goddess in the middle of God's Temple.

Manasseh was a pretty messed up guy. And then one day, he made a turn-around. Manasseh was captured and taken off to Babylon. Here's what happened:

Now that he was in trouble,

he went to his knees in prayer asking for help—

total repentance before the God of his ancestors.

As he prayed, God was touched;

God listened and brought him back to Jerusalem as king.

That convinced Manasseh that God was in control.

Wow. Is God's forgiveness amazing or what?!?

Here's an interesting thing about sin: In God's opinion, there's no such thing as the "worst kind." Sin is sin. And all of us sin (see Romans 3:22-24). Some sins have bigger real-world consequences (e.g. you'll probably go to jail for a murder, but not for a lie), but any sin can separate us from God...in the worst case scenario, forever.

But as we approach Easter weekend, this passage reminded me of the amazing power of God's love, grace and compassion. When we ask for forgiveness, He gives it. When we believe that Jesus paid the price for our (past, present and future) sins, God sees us just as if we never sinned. That's the best kind of forgiveness possible.

Tomorrow: 2 Chronicles 35-36

My favorite

Today: Galatians 4-6

Today's passages included one of my favorite Bible quotes. Ever.

It's Galatians 5:6b--and I have to say that I think I like the NIV version better. It says simply, "...The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

It's very simple, but one of my favorites because it captures the idea that faith and love are always tied together...you can't really love God, a person, or even a company if you don't have some measure of faith in them. And if you have faith, it's demonstrated in your life through your love.

Throughout the book of Galatians, Paul is writing to people who have been drawn to listen to legalistic, rule-based religion (see "Mary Poppins faith"). But that's not what Christianity is about...it's about grace, love and freedom. However, Paul does a good job of explaining the balance between freedom and following God's instructions:

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life.

Just make sure that you don't use this freedom

as an excuse to do whatever you want to do

and destroy your freedom.

Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love;

that's how freedom grows.

For everything we know about God's Word

is summed up in a single sentence:

Love others as you love yourself.

That's an act of true freedom.

This portion of the passage provides a very high-level picture of a free life, grounded in God's guidance. What does that mean to your everyday life? To your everyday work?

Thankfully, Paul gives a bit more instruction to address those questions as well. Take a look:

Make a careful exploration of who you are

and the work you have been given,

and then sink yourself into that.

Don't be impressed with yourself.

Don't compare yourself with others.

Each of you must take responsibility

for doing the creative best you can

with your own life.

I think he's saying here that our lives our really a gift from God--our responsibility is to do the "creative best" we can (to be good stewards, if you will) of every aspect of our lives. That may sound like a tall order, but remember--you and I have been given freedom to make choices about our time, family, relationships, money, work, service and more. Some important questions? How is your faith expressed in love? And in the "creative best" of your life?

Tomorrow: Ephesians 1-3

You know my heart...

Today: 1 Corinthians 1-4

In high school, I was a writer and editor for our school newspaper (I know--shocker, right?). For one story assignment around Valentine's Day, I interviewed married teachers and staff members about their spouses, how they met, fell in love and all that mushy gushy stuff. I don't remember most of the stories. But I do remember one.

"What do you love most about your husband?" I asked an administrator.

She paused. Then she replied simply, "He knows me best and loves me most."

It's been over 10 years and I never forgot that. I don't why exactly. Maybe it's because I'm still looking for that guy, for that kind of love. Perhaps it's because I still need to be that kind of person--to have the ability to love someone that way.

"He knows me best and loves me most," is a pretty powerful statement when you think about it. I can barely imagine a guy who knows me better than anyone--seeing me in the morning before Frizz-Ease and Bouncy Cream tame my hair and Starbucks makes me...conscious. To think that same guy could see me at those moments and when I'm sick, moody, or selfish...and still love me--still choose me--above anybody else?!? That pretty much proves love is a miracle. :)

The amazing thing is that God's love is even beyond that. Even when I marry that guy, he won't be able to read every one of my thoughts, motives, and attitudes (and that's probably a good thing for both of us!)...but God does...and still loves me more than any one person ever could. Here's what the Word said in today's passage:

For who do you know

that really knows you,

knows your heart?

And even if they did,

is there anything they would discover

in you

that you could take credit for?

Isn't everything you have

and everything you are

sheer gifts from God?

So what's the point of all this comparing and competing?

You already have all you need.

You already have more access to God than you can handle.

All right, so the part of this I didn't address earlier is the fact that you and I can't take all the credit for the good stuff that's in us. I didn't make my eyes, voice or mind--so I can't take full credit for anything good that comes from them. I've been given everything I have and everything I am--that doesn't mean that I should walk around with an arrogant attitude like "God's given the world the gift of Me! Muah ha ha!" (In the words of Whitney Houston, "Hell to the no!!!") :)

In this passage, I believe Paul's encouraging people to be confident...but at the same time, humble, thankful for what God has done and more importantly, for who God is. He knows our hearts inside and out...let's just try to get a glimpse of His.

Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 5-8