As a new driver, I considered my mini van the coolest vehicle on the road! Only one car did I desire more: my father’s. He drove a brand new, sleek black, Honda Accord, and I envied him for it.

One weekend, my brother and I decided to film a homemade video with some friends of ours (this was obviously “pre-x-box”, or, P.X.B.). For one scene, we needed an empty garage, so I quickly volunteered to move dad’s car. I didn’t bother to ask, but jumped in, started it up and backed out (a little bit faster then necessary because there were girls watching). Suddenly I heard a horrible sound. A loud CRASH turned my attention to my right side mirror. My heart stopped. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “All that was left were some hooks and some wire.” I began planning my future, starting with how far I thought I could drive before my dad noticed I was gone. I figured I had about a two hour head start… “Mike, go tell dad.” I was brought back to reality by my brother’s words. The thought made me sick. I began to protest, but realized I didn’t have enough money or survival knowledge to hide in Greenland for the rest of my life, so I went inside to find my father. I found him in his office, and approached him slowly (making note of all possible exits). “Um, da-ad,” I cracked, “I smashed the mirror off your car.” I braced myself for the death blow, but it never came. I opened my eyes. My dad had a look of disappointment on his face, but his eyes showed love. “Don’t worry; I’ll get it fixed,” he said. I leaped into the air and cried out with joy. I had received grace and forgiveness! He paid the bill, but I gladly and voluntarily worked to pay him back. It was the least I could do in response to the mercy he had shown me.

We are not the first to mess up. Adam and Eve had everything they ever needed, but they wanted more. The only tree in the Garden of Eden they were forbidden to eat from was the only one they desired. That tree belonged to their Father, but their selfishness drove them to break God’s only stipulation. In shame they hid, but you can’t hide from God.

We share in their shame. Each of us has messed up. We have turned our backs on God and pursued our own selfish desires and now stand condemned before God. However, the good news of the Bible is that God, when we deserved death, paid the price for us by sending His only Son to die in our place. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Have you lost the wonder of God’s grace? When we fully understand this grace, obedience should be our natural response, and there is nothing more liberating in the entire world!

My dad only spends money on the absolute, basic necessities for survival. For this reason, when I entered our basement and beheld a brand-new pool table, I was convinced he’d gone crazy. (I also discovered a pair of blue-flame rimmed sunglasses and a blown speaker in his car. I rest my case.) He adored his new purchase, and laws were quickly dictated:

GOLDEN RULE: Thou shall not have food/drink near pool table.

*amendment: Thou shall not bring food/drink into basement…period.

*amendment: Thou shall refrain from even looking at pool table if food/drink can still be smelt on your breath.

Unfortunately my cousin JP missed the memo.

Despite several warnings, JP allowed his Diet Coke to boldly go where no drink had gone before–the pool table’s lair! Initially the exiled beverage was restricted to safely rest upon a distant bookshelf. However, quickly tiring of hiking across the basement every time he was thirsty, the Diet Coke slowly began inching closer and closer into forbidden territory. A glimmer caught my eye. I looked up in utter horror as my worst nightmare became reality. There, standing defiantly upon the ledge of the pool table, was the Diet Coke, and JP’s hand was blindly reaching up for it.

“NOOOOOOOO!!!” I bellowed in a deep resonating voice, and in slow motion my hand raced out to intercept…Bang! Glub glub glub… Too late! Jumping up, our hearts froze. Where our expensive pool table had once proudly stood; now sat a coke-filled paddling pool.

Pitifully JP came sprinting back into the room arms full of toilet paper, “HELP!” Rubbing the abominable wet spot like a madman the stain merely spread. As Coke began dripping through the bottom of the table onto the carpet I could fainting hear him mumbling, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”

“JP, you need to go tell my dad.” Turning his pale, sweaty face toward me, he shook his head, “You’re crazy! He’ll tear me apart and cook me in garlic sauce!” (Oh yeah. Good point.) Without another word, he dashed from the room.

JP realized he had messed up big time and rightly feared the consequences. He knew the rules and he broke them. Just as he had been warned, his worst fears were realized. We have all had that sickening feeling when we knew we have blown it. People warned us it would happen. The Bible was clear about what was right and wrong. Yet for some bewildering reason, we went ahead and did it anyway. Now we dread facing the music.

At times we view God the way my cousin saw my dad—with terror! We can be like Adam and Eve after they sinned and foolishly try to hide. But it’s no use. Unlike my dad, God knows the moment we mess up. Actually, He knows what we will do before we sin. But He also stands ready to forgive us and restore us into a relationship with Him where we don’t need to fear. The writer of Proverbs wisely conveyed: “He who covers his sins will not prosper; but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Prov. 28:13). If you have been hiding your sin, confess it today and find freedom.

August 31, 2007. The day I look forward to all summer: the last day of my summer job. While driving home, I suddenly realized that in my haste I had neglected to pick up my insulated lunch bag from the refrigerator. The thought of going back to get it briefly occurred to me, but I dismissed the idea and continued on my way. I assumed I would never see that bag again. I was wrong.

Late June, 2008. The town hired me back for a third summer, due I am sure to the labor shortage, not my impressive skills with a landscaping rake. After a particularly grueling morning of trying to figure out the difference between a Robinson and a Phillips screwdriver (why can’t they just call them “The Square One” and “The Star One”? Life is too complicated.), I finally arrived in the lunch room. As I opened the refrigerator, a grey lunch bag on the top shelf caught my eye. It looked vaguely, eerily familiar. It was my old lunch bag! Like being reunited with a long lost friend, I eagerly ripped the bag open, but the smile on my face evaporated when I discovered the bag was not empty. Something was inside it! In horror I peered within to find a plastic container with mysterious contents. Although it now looked like chocolate cookie dough, I vaguely recalled that it was once hamburger casserole. My supervisor gave me a look that said, “You really shouldn’t, but I am just as curious as you are.” I summoned up my courage and yanked off the lid! The sudden combustion of lethal fumes exploded into the atmosphere. I heard the silent screams in my head as the lives of thousands of (apparently unused) brain cells were ruthlessly cut short. Lights danced before my eyes. I swayed and stumbled to the nearest chair. My supervisor (who apparently had forgotten his earlier encouragement) gave me some sage advice that day: “Mike, throw that bag away!”

It is not easy to forgive people. It is much easier to get angry, bottle things up inside or even end a relationship. However, I’ve found the longer I refuse to address a problem, the worse it gets. I may push it into the corner of my heart and try to forget, but it sits there and festers until one day I realize its stench has leaked into other areas of my life. When Jesus prayed the model prayer, He said: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). Jesus knew we could not enjoy God’s forgiveness if we refused to forgive others. We can try and overlook our need to forgive someone but the odor of unforgiveness will only grow worse until we can’t ignore it any longer.

I had an experience yesterday. It was one of the experiences that really gets you thinking straight again. This experience happens occasionally, but this time it happened at the wrong time. The garbage men forgot to pick up my trash! It would’ve been ok if they forgot last week, but not yesterday. See, yesterday I had A LOT of garbage; it was overflowing! I noticed my neighbors’ trash had been picked up, but not mine! I had to get rid of my trash; because if I added any more, my driveway was sure to be the neighborhood’s animals feeding ground! So I loaded the entire trashcan into the back of the car and headed out in search of the garbage men.

In just about two seconds of being in the car I realized what I had done. I had just put the worst smelling mixture of garbage anyone has every inhaled inside a small contained area and then gotten in with it! I found out very quickly that my gag reflex still worked, and I wished for the first time that we owned a convertible. After about a ten-minute drive that consisted of watery eyes and a churning stomach, I came in view of the prettiest sight I thought I could ever see…the garbage truck!!

I helped the garbage men load up my collection of waste and gave a rejoicing thanks to God for allowing me to survive such an awful ten minutes! I threw my trashcan in the back and set off for home! But once again I realized something was very wrong! I still smelled the garbage! Because that trash had set inside of that container, the trashcan still smelled like the garbage!

In Hebrew 3:13, we are warned that sin’s deception can harden us against God. We as believers, who have asked for forgiveness and have been washed in the blood of Christ, have been forgiven of our sin! But there are times when I sin and I let it hang over me and even let it make my attitude sour! When I let those lies that sin puts in my life control and influence me, I am giving my sin more control than God! By doing so, I have let sin harden me against God. You see that trashcan was a lot like how sin has been in my life. The trash represents sin and just as I got rid of the trash, Christ got rid of the trash in my life! The smell that lingered after the trash was gone represents the lies that sin puts in my life! Even when the trash was gone (my sin) Satan still uses its lies to deceive me, but no more!

When I got home I sprayed that car full with Febreze just as God has removed sin’s lies from over me!

Lord, thank you so much for removing the trash from my life! I thank you that the stench of my sin has been covered by your blood, and I have been set free!

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling man.” Hebrews 12:16

Crash! In one blinding instant, lightening struck a tree about 50 feet from our house. Peeling bark as it went, the bolt leapt from the tree to the fence post, splitting it into pieces, and then ran along the barbed wire at the bottom sending metal flying like shrapnel. At the gate post, the current dove into the ground finding the wire to our old, long-forgotten, electric dog fence. It followed that wire straight into the house, exploding the control box and frying the outlet, the security system, my laptop and printer, our garage door opener, and the light bulbs in the eaves. Naturally, at that moment, we didn’t know what had hit us. However, after careful inspection, we were able to recreate the scenario I just recounted and realized with dismay that if we had just gotten rid of that old, unused dog fence, we may have escaped with no more damage than a scarred tree and a broken fence.

Okay, I am not really a glass-half-full kind of girl, but, for some reason, I decided to see what good I could get from this experience. Also, my family gleefully pointed out that it was mostly my stuff that was hit—my laptop, my printer, only my garage door opener—so I thought I’d better sit up and pay closer attention. I didn’t want to miss anything important that would cause God to get my attention with something even more dramatic than a lightening strike. So, here’s what I learned.

First of all, things that are left to lie buried below the surface can be dangerous. Jealousy, anger, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness—all kinds of issues—can be covered over and even forgotten. Yet, when lightening strikes through stress or emotional turmoil, these unresolved areas can explode and cause damage not only to ourselves but to everyone around us. Sudden outbursts of pain and anger can fly like those electrified pieces of barbed wire and woe be it to anyone who finds his way in our paths.

Secondly, it is best to deal with difficult issues as they arise. Ephesians 4:26 cautions, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,” and Hebrews 12:17 says, “[Esau] was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.” Many times we wait for that perfect opportunity to come in order to reconcile with someone we have hurt or who has hurt us. That split second of high voltage illumination reminds me that today is the day to set things right. Who knows what tomorrow (or the next second) may bring?

Thirdly, there may be dangerous sub-surface sins and issues in my life of which I am not even aware. Perhaps I have forgotten all about them or I have never seen through God’s eyes how damaging these actions are. Negativity, self-criticism, and insecurity are just a few possibilities. Who knows how many of these potential pitfalls lie just below the surface? God does! We need to ask Him to reveal any “offensive ways” in us (Psalm 139:23-24), and then we need to cut off their power in our lives. If that old fence wire had been dug up or if we had even unplugged the control box from our now melted outlet, perhaps, we could have avoided the majority of the damage that occurred. I am sure there are even more truths to be gained by last week’s experience—“God is My New Security System,” “Life Can Change in a Flash,” “Jesus is the Only Reliable Insurance”—but I will leave those to another day. Right now, it’s time to start digging up old fences and mending new ones.

Father, help me to “pursue peace with everyone” and to rid my life of the destructive “root of bitterness” that can grow when I fail to dig up issues that are hiding below the surface (Heb. 12:14-15). Open my eyes to your truths and give me the willingness to walk where you lead—even if it is a brief, but difficult journey into the past. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

I had two very disturbing experiences the other day. The first happened while I was at band practice. We were up in the loft working on a new song when we were given a very unpleasant surprise. The father of two of the band members gleefully came up the stairs to announce that he had discovered what was wrong with the house heating system, and he had brought the problem with him: a dead bat. Somehow this unfortunate rodent had become trapped in the heating system, frying itself and freezing the house. I wish I could say my brother and I, being the closest to the stairs, handled it like men. However, when the bat was revealed we both (as well as the rest of the band I might add…) freaked out! I never want to see one of those up close again!

My other experience came when I returned home that night. I walked into my apartment and was greeted by the stench that always welcomes me home. For the last week my place has smelled horrible, and I could not figure out why. (I’m sure it has nothing to do with how infrequently I clean it.) As I sat down and waited for my nose to adjust to the sudden culture shock, I noticed something sitting on the table by my couch. It looked like a glass full of white candle wax, but as I lifted it to my nose and smelled it, I realized quickly what it was. Either it was candle wax that smelled a lot like moldy milk, or it was the real deal! I gagged and rushed to the sink. I fixed the problem, but it may be a while until the effects wear off!

It’s amazing how little things can have such big consequences. One dead bat can shut the heat off in a three-story house; one glass of chunky old milk can stink up an entire apartment. I couldn’t help but think that sin does the same thing. I may think it’s just a small sin in my life, but it won’t be long before it starts affecting every part of me. I may try to sweep it under a rug, but it will continue to leak its way in and pollute my life until dealt with.

Some of the best news in history was proclaimed by John the Baptist in John 1:29 when he announced, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” I’m so thankful our God is a God who takes away our sin. He sees the problem, even if we are having trouble finding it, and He wants to take it out of our lives. The good news of Christianity is that we have a God that can save us from our sin! He can and will take it away from us so we are free to live the life He intended for us. What great news!

This past Sunday, my church family celebrated the Lord’s Supper. As is our custom, the “body” of Christ was passed back and forth along the pews on silver trays, and each believer in the sanctuary carefully extracted a single piece to hold until all were served and the pastor had asked God to bless it. As I held the bread between my thumb and index finger, really more of a square, cracker-like substance than bread, I noted the powdery white residue that clung to my fingertips, and a thought began to grow in my mind. Yes, I know I should have been praying or meditating, but sometimes my mind has a mind of its own. (Is such a thing possible?) Anyway, I noted the fine powder on my fingers and began to think of how communion with the Lord should leave just as visible an impression on my life as the “bread” did on my hands.

Next came the “blood” in tiny plastic cups, and again, while we waited, I pondered the thimble full of watery juice. Fruit juice … Adam and Eve ate forbidden fruit which brought death into this world. I too have sinned, and the fruit of my sin is also death. In His death, Christ paid the price for my sin and made the once-for-all, perfect sacrifice. Death cancelling death. Forbidden fruit, the fruit of my actions, and the fruit juice in my hands representing the blood of my Lord spilled in a purple stain, a lasting impression that cannot be removed. Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ which this cup represents. And then it was time once again to pray.

The church in which I was raised called the Lord’s Supper by a different name, Holy Communion. While both names are good and right, I am glad to be reminded of the meaning of communion. My World Book Dictionary defines it as a “close spiritual relationship,” and that is exactly what it represents to me. Because Christ was willing to put Himself in our place, to condescend to be with us, we can have a true relationship with the One who has been from the beginning. He bent down to see us face-to-face as a father bends to speak with a tiny child and lifted us up to be His own, to make us heirs in His kingdom. By His grace, we are forever changed, transformed in the Spirit, impressed forever by this holy communion with the Holy God. With purple lips and white fingertips, we do this in remembrance of Him.

Dear Lord, cause me to do everything in remembrance of You. May I always be aware of your great grace and the remarkable change that your gift has made in my life. Let me leave your fingerprints on everyone and everything I touch, the powdery residue of a true communion with my Savior. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Truthfully, though, I had little idea what those words meant. I didn’t know the kind of desire and pain and hope and disappointment that came along with such a simple declaration. We usually grasp the gravity of our profound experiences later, as we actually begin to live them.

This seems particularly true for the few faithful women who wept at Jesus’ tomb that first Easter morning. Jesus’ body was gone, and the women feared foul play. But a strong, radiant angel appeared and spoke earth-bending words. Jesus is not here; He has risen (Luke 24:5-6) This declaration gives us immediate truths: death has no hold on Jesus; and in His triumph, Jesus has won life and forgiveness for us.

But there’s more…

If you had to define God in a word (of course we can’t – absurd, but if we could…), about the best we could do would be this: life. Likewise, if we had to define Satan in a word, about the best we could come up with would be this: death. Death (Satan) aligned against life (God).

As a result, we are in a world drowning in death. Have you noticed? Do you see death in the eyes of children whose families have been ripped to shreds? Do you see death in the wars that rage and in neighborhoods submerged in hopeless cycles of poverty? Do you see death in your own heart when fear will not loosen its grip, when the accusing voice will never shut up, when your emptiness or your sin will never leave you alone? Are you drowning in all the death?

Drowning in death, what is our hope? If the Kingdom of Death has us in a stranglehold, what is our hope? The only possible remedy is preposterous – that God would come and dive into our cesspool with us, take into His own body all of the rage and the assault of death and extinguish it in Himself. This unthinkable rescue is precisely what Jesus did.

When Scripture announced Jesus trouncing death, the pronouncement asserted something even more cataclysmic, more total, than we imagined. This is the stunning revelation: in Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus broke “the power of him who holds the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14). Along with securing human forgiveness, Jesus’ resurrection shattered the tyrannical power of evil, every smidgeon of it.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death… [The Troparian of Pascha]

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8)

The journal topic was written on the board, “For what or whom would you be willing to die?” The high school English class sat writing, but the results were discouraging to their teacher. A few students wrote that they would be willing to die for their families or their country, but the majority of the class stated in no uncertain terms that they were not willing to die for anyone.

Still, it is a good question. For whom would you be willing to give your life? If you are a parent, you probably would give your life for your child’s. If you are married or in love, you may give your life in exchange for your loved one’s. But, how about for an imperfect stranger? Maybe a person whose life choices are even reprehensible to you? A child molester? A terrorist? How about for a liar or a cheat? Even an enemy?

Yes, I know you can see where I am headed with these thoughts. I really do not have anything new to say; but, the simple truth of the Gospel remains relevant in spite of my lack of originality. I cannot help but be stunned by the unselfish sacrifice that Jesus made for me. You see, “rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die” (Rom. 5:7). But Christ chose to willingly die for us “while we were still sinners!” Doesn’t that piercing truth take your breath away? It is shocking and obscene! That the only perfect and sinless man ever to live on this planet would choose to suffer and give his life for liars and cheats, for child molesters and terrorists, even for me, is enough to make us turn away in shame. But God did this for us! Christ died for us! How can we turn away from such a gift? Such self-sacrificing love is almost too much to bear, but it is what He offers even while we are “still helpless … ungodly … sinners.” He wants us even in our stained and world-worn condition. How can we turn away?

Maybe today is “the appointed moment” for you to accept what Christ offers. Maybe this is the first time you have really seen and understood with breathtaking clarity what Christ has done for you. You are helpless without Him; but, because of Christ’s sacrifice, His willingness to die in your place, you can be redeemed. And the best news is that He lives today and wants to welcome you into His family through His love. “For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!” (Rom. 5:10) He was willing to die in your place. Are you willing to live for Him?

“Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.”

“If I don’t see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!” (John 20:25)

Why did Jesus keep His scars? After all, if He had the power to raise Himself from death, He certainly could have erased the terrible marks that our sin had left on His body. But, He didn’t. He didn’t even try to cover them up. In fact, when He first appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, “He showed them His hands and side” so that they would know who He was. He used His scars to draw the disciples to Him, and when they realized who He was, they “rejoiced.”

So why is it that the people of His church try so hard to cover up the scars of our pasts? To begin with, I guess it is because we feel less righteous with them showing. Unlike Jesus, we feel responsible for the ugly marks that sin has left in our lives. He was sinless and earned His scars in a selfless act of grace. Our wounds are often self-inflicted, and, therefore, nothing we want others to see. We cover them like old tattoos with make-up or long sleeves and only reveal them in the privacy of our closets. We shun those “who knew us when” and do our best to appear flawless.

Why not let Jesus redeem your scars just as He has your soul? Jesus’ wounds reminded His disciples of the terrible price He had paid for them and His amazing power to restore life to what was dead. Being open about our struggles and scars can also point to the resurrection power that is at work in us. Those who are suffering as you have suffered will be encouraged to see that God has not rejected them after all. If He could love and use you—someone who was where they are—then there is hope for them, too. There is no sin that cannot be redeemed by the scars of Christ. Nothing too terrible to be washed away by the blood of the Lamb. Never exalt or flaunt the sins of your past, but don’t deny them either. They may be the very thing that God will use to draw unbelievers to His side. Like Thomas, then they will see and believe.

“Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don’t be an unbeliever, but a believer.” (John 20:27)

Lord Jesus, your wounds brought peace to those who had locked themselves away in fear, and they do the same for us today. Thank you for being a compassionate and comforting God. Please, help me to be willing to comfort others as I myself have been comforted (2 Cor.1:3-4). Unlock the doors that fear has closed, and use me as a witness of your Grace. In your name, I pray. Amen.