"Father, forgive me" - Devotion for 6/7/07

“Father, forgive me” – Devotion for 6/07/07

Being a PK (preacher’s kid), people always had certain expectations of you before they even got to know you. One of those stereotypes was that you were a “goody two shoes.” I’m not really sure where that expression came from since we all wear 2 shoes (assuming you have 2 feet), but growing up we sure heard that expression a lot. The other stereotype for PK’s was that you were a “hell raiser.” I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been called a “goody two shoes” (although I usually did wear 2 shoes), but I’m not sure I’d always be called a “hell raiser” either. However, I certainly did have more than a few moments where I certainly was not referred to as a “goody.” One time as we were riding the school bus, someone said something to me about being a PK, and so I cussed right back at them. “Oooooh” was the sound that all the kids made as they were amazed that a preacher’s kid would say such a thing. Immediately, I bowed my head and prayed out loud, “Father, forgive me.” For some reason this quick, audible prayer made the others laugh, and never being one to discourage laughter, I decided I would have some fun with it. Repeatedly I would say a cuss word, and immediately I would bow my head and say, “Father, forgive me,” much to the amusement of my bus-mates. However one child turned to me and said, “You know you shouldn’t be saying that stuff,” and I replied to her, “Its OK – I’m a Christian, and God forgives me.”

In the book of Romans, Paul talks about how a Christian should live, and he talks also about how we should handle sin. He begins chapter 6 by saying, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” Although he is asking a rhetorical question, the basis of it has some merit. If grace (God’s gift of forgiveness) abounds in the presence of sin, then why shouldn’t we continue in sin so that grace may increase? That seemed to be my understanding back in 4^th grade – I could sin, and the more I sinned, the more forgiveness and grace I received. However, Paul answers his own rhetorical question in the next verse – “May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” A few verses later he says, “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him” (Romans 6:8-9). When we have accepted a new life through Christ, then we should by all means make every effort to avoid sinning. I guess what I’m saying is that we can’t say that we have a new life in Christ if we are still living the old life we had before. Something has to change.

When I entered into a serious relationship with Jennifer (my wife), no longer did I want to go out and try to meet other girls. No longer did I call up old girlfriends just to see how they were doing. I was in a new relationship, and that meant that I could not exist as I had previously existed – it wouldn’t be right for the new relationship I was in. We should approach our relationship with Christ the same way. Leaving behind the old ways - living in the new. We should live a life knowing that although the reality is that we will sin, we should do all that we can to avoid sinning. The good news is that God does offer forgiveness for true repentance. My little “Father, forgive me” prayers were not true repentance, because I knew that the second that I said “Amen,” I was going to say another cuss word. Confess, repent, and live in the new life God freely gives.