I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous person who do not need to repent. – Luke 15:7
When I was a child, I remember visiting my grandmother’s church often. Being a young kid and not having a great deal of attentiveness, the message I often “heard” from those sermons was how good our behavior needed to be for God to love us, to be a “real” Christian, or to get into heaven. Now, I seriously doubt that the intention of that pastor was to make me feel or believe that the way to heaven was impossible. But as a youngster, being quite strong-willed, and those sermons being my first introduction to Christianity, I wasn’t left with a feeling of hope and encouragement. Be perfect? Not sin? How would God ever love me or I get into heaven?
Fast forward over 40 years and I’m not going to tell you that I’m now perfect or do not sin… quite the opposite. Certain periods of my life I would rather forget and even current moments in my life are less than ideal. What has changed is my perspective on God’s love for me and how I am to respond. I now know that, through faith and seeking forgiveness, I am saved.
Even with all of these failings, the single most important daily reminder to me is the lessons that can be gleaned by simply reading His word. My Bible is my regular source for comfort, knowledge, and the way to everlasting life. Those long ago sermons push me now to be ever close to my Bible. When I am confronted with trouble or question how to find solutions for myself or my children, I try to remember that the answers are usually not more than few feet away.
The recent sermon series discussing the Protestant Reformation and the heroic actions taken by Martin Luther was fascinating to me. I am so thankful every day that the Bible is available to me at my fingertips, to provide the light to lead me forward in the darkness. I simply cannot imagine life without it. Truly, we are blessed by the saints on whose shoulders we stand.
As you take time to reflect during this season of Lent, I hope part of that reflection will include opening up the Bible and reading about all the passages of what God calls us to do. God does not call us to be perfect, rather, He simply calls us to repent and seek Him.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16
Shannon Goodwin, Accounts Payable
