Sunday, September 23, 2018

When God Calls Your Bluff

People are often fascinated by the fact that I don’t drink alcohol. Never have. Not a sip. The short story goes: In 8th grade I made a deal with God that if He’d help me with something I would never drink alcohol. He did His part; so by His strength I’m doing mine. There have been challenging moments, but it was never that difficult for me because it seemed like such a big promise to break.

But what about smaller promises?

Over the last few weeks I’ve had the feeling that I should start blogging again. I’m not sure if it’s the result of a book I recently read or a result of my reduced time on social media, but I’ve had more and more thoughts pop in my head that I feel God wants me to work through. Last night, that very thing happened. I was already in bed. I was comfy. And Harry Potter was just about to learn vital information to help him fight you-know-who. (Just keeping it real, folks!) Write something now? I’ll take care of that tomorrow, I told myself.

Fast forward to right now, literally right now. Well, ok, at this point probably 15 minutes ago. I am sitting at my dining room table having just finished lunch, still sipping my coffee, when I realized that I have forgotten what it was I was going to write about. Having had an amazing morning at church I do all I know to do, and I offer up a short prayer: Lord, if you help me remember I will write about it.

I pick up the book I’ve been reading (Jesus of Suburbia, by Mike Erre). There on page 79, just two pages from where I had last stopped reading, was the scripture I had been thinking about yesterday (Matthew 16:13-14, blog post to follow).

I didn’t feel like writing. I didn’t feel like doing anything really. I just wanted to sit for a few minutes and relax. How could I though? Pastor preached on sin today.

What is sin? I often think of James 4:17 when trying to answer that question, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

I hear you, Lord, loud and clear. Message received.