Bible in 90 Days Week Eleven part 2

  One of my girls and I had a conversation this past week, and I have been thinking about it...a lot.  After watching a TV adaptation of a favorite book series, she said something along the lines of, "Mom, have you ever noticed that the new thing is for us to understand the villains?  That there is no clear cut 'this is wrong'?  Instead it is more of a 'yes, that was bad, BUT he did it because....or she said that because....?'  There is always a reason to explain why and somehow you are supposed to just be ok with that."  

  I was stunned.  You see, I was trying to put my finger on why this adaptation bothered me so much - yes they deviated from the books (what movie doesn't?), but there was something fundamentally missing and I just couldn't put my finger on it.  Then she said that and it was a lightbulb moment.  As I thought over the past summer, and all of the old movies we have watched, I realized the stark difference in how good and evil were portrayed, then versus now.

  These thoughts continued to tumble around in my mind and heart, and as I wrapped up the Old Testament and dove into the New, I realized that we are selling a bit of false goods when we try to understand and explain away a character's (or real life person) motivation.  The Bible does not say seek to understand and explain sin - NO - it says RETURN to God, CONFESS your sins (mistakes, misunderstandings, any evil thing - CONFESS IT), and REPENT from sin - turn away from what you have been doing, saying, thinking, harboring in your heart.  Turn from that sinful action, word, thought and turn to Jesus.  Yes there may be a good reason why you said or thought or did that, (there always is with me, I am always the first person in line to give a reason!!) BUT that does nothing for your sin.  It doesn't cover it, make it ok, erase it, or forgive it - sin is a stain that needs a covering.  That covering comes in the form of Jesus Christ, His shed blood on the cross.  In His public ministry - as it begins in Matthew :

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matt 4:17

At His last supper with the twelve:

Then He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."  Matt 26:27-29

  One of the first things Jesus preaches is repentance.  One of the last things talked about in the Old Testament was the need for repentance and the need to return to God.  I find myself asking, why don't I talk about this more, why am I not studying it and why am I not teaching the importance of returning to God with our whole heart on at least a weekly basis?  

  Out of the mouth of babes, right?  Often times the girls will ask profound questions that start a line of thinking that steer the udder of our family's ship, allowing us to make course corrections I would have missed altogether.  So, as I was wrapping up Matthew yesterday (one chapter left this morning), I poured over Jesus' Words - and thought how often I am in error because I failed to read the Word and did not know the power of God (Matt 22:29) and although that particular verse is taking about a misunderstanding of marriage + remarriage in regards to resurrection, it highlighted how often I err simply because I am not in His Word enough, I don't know or don't remember what He says about _____________________.  I don't abide in His Presence.

  If I was, on a consistently daily basis, I would be continually reminded that God doesn't have to seek to understand our hearts (He KNOWS our hearts better than we do: Proverbs 21:2, Psalm 44:21, 1 Kings 8:39, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Corinthians 4:4), He alone has the answers to our sin : Return to Him, Confess your sin, and REPENT.  Jesus stands waiting for any of us, at any time.  At the end of your life, truly it isn't going to matter if your wife or husband or best friend or worst enemy understood where you were coming from.  Luke 22:20, Hebrews 9:22, Revelations 1:5. it will only matter what God has to say.