Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I
speak this to your shame.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34
I receive so many calls from sales people and scammers that
I grow tired of the ringing phone. Most the time I do not answer, however the
ringing can become annoying. On one such morning, I was trying to work on a
devotional, and as I could see, by the caller identification, I was receiving
one of these calls
.
I picked up the phone and immediately hung it up without
answering. Usually this technique works, however this time the caller called
right back. I was very annoyed by this time, and answered the phone with, “Why
do you keep bothering me?”
The caller was looking for someone I did not know. With
slightly less rude tones, I said my goodbye and hung up. As soon as I did, the
Lord immediately spoke to my heart and said, “Was that a good example of me?” I
knew it wasn’t and felt ashamed.
I was getting ready to call back when the phone rang again;
(the same caller). This time when I answered, I said, “I am so sorry for how
rudely I answered the phone. I get so many calls that it becomes an
aggravation. I know that is not an excuse for my behavior. Would you please
forgive me?”
I think the caller was slightly stunned. He told me that he
understood fully and that he was just trying to locate someone who drove off
their lot with a vehicle and did not return. After going through several names
and assuring him I did not know any of these people, he told me that this would
help in narrowing the search.
I took this opportunity to witness. I said, “As soon as I
hung up, the Lord spoke to me and convicted me of not being a good
representation of Him. I know I was rude and did not speak as Christ would have
me to speak. I am so glad you called back, because I wanted to apologize.”
He told me, “Every day, I get on my knees, before I leave
for work, but it doesn’t always mean that I do what I am supposed to. It’s then
I have to get back on my knees. Don’t worry, I understand, and I forgive you.”
When I got off the phone, I made my call back to Christ. I
asked for forgiveness and asked for an erasure of my behavior so that I could
start over, with my clean-slated day. As we call back, over and over again, God
in His mercy, loves and forgives us. He wipes out every blot and stain,
remembering them no more.
Dear Father,
Thank you for forgiving me over and over again. Thank you
for your mercy.
Amen
Comments
Post a Comment