It is so good
to be loved. I can’t imagine a world without love…but I know it is there. It is
there in the homes with child abuse and neglect…it is there in that sinful sex
and slave trafficking that exists around the world. Heaven help us…Lord help
them.
Those of us
who know the Lord Jesus as our savior are blessed to be loved, unconditionally.
With that love comes the correction and discipline that John writes about in
this message to Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). Correction and discipline are
not always pleasant—actually I’ve found them to be humbling. A Christian friend
of mine once corrected me…and as an adult I was at first a bit taken aback. How
could anyone think that they needed to point out my flaws…much less tell me
that I should change my way of treating others. Hmmph. But she was right…and
later I thanked her for pointing out to me that I needed to change. That was
unconditional love. God loves us just how we are, but He wants us to change and
be like His son Jesus. That was how my friend was treating me. Change and do
things Jesus’ way. OK. I zealously repented and changed my way. Have you ever
been confronted by a friend or the Holy Spirit telling you that you need to
repent and change your ways? Take a look inside of you and see how God wants
you to change…to be more like Jesus. Then repent of your old ways…and ask God
to help you change your ways with a zeal and enthusiasm for the Lord.
Training Tip – Several years ago in the back of an old Bible I had
written this definition for sin that was originally from Suzanne Wesley, mother
of Charles and John Wesley. “Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the
tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your
relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over
the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself.” So by this
definition, sin can be a lot of different things to different people. Ask your
children what “sin” is to them. What are their sins that they need to give up…repent?
Do your kids
know what it means to repent? Gather up some palm size or smaller rocks. Let the kids each choose one rock and then
write their sin…in one or two words…on a rock. Go to a nearby lake, creek, or
river and pray for forgiveness for those sins. Have the children
enthusiastically throw their rocks into the water. Those sins will never float
back up to the surface…they are gone forever.
Lord God, thank you for forgiving us for our sins.
As you taught in the Lord’s Prayer…forgive our sins as we forgive others. So
help us to forgive those who have sinned against us, too.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
© 2013 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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